Study of laboratory staff' knowledge of biobanking in Côte d'Ivoire

Abstract Background: The biobank is a structure that manages and makes available biological resources. The biobank has medical, scientific and economic interests in an ethical manner. In 2009, Côte d'Ivoire established a biobank, which has housed the regional biobank of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries since 2018. To ensure optimal and efficient use of this biobank, scientific stakeholders must be aware of its existence and role. It was therefore necessary to assess the knowledge of laboratory staff on the role and activities of a biobank. Methods: This is a descriptive study conducted with staff of human, animal and plant health laboratories located in southern Côte d'Ivoire. Results: A total of 205 people agreed to complete the proposed questionnaire. Of these, 34.63% are biologists, 7.32% engineers, 48.78% technicians and 9.27% PhD students. The average professional experience was 10.11 ± 7.83 years. Respectively, 47.32% and 43.41% have never heard of biocollection and biobank. Only 48.78% of participants had a good understanding of the role of a biobank. Technicians and PhD students were less educated on the notion of biobank (p<0.000001). Biologists, although they were more educated on this issue, 21.13% of them had a misconception of biobank. Good knowledge of the role of a biobank was not significantly related to the duration of professional experience (p>0.88). Conclusion: The level of knowledge of laboratory staff about biobanking remains to be improved. Training on the role, activities and interests of the biobank is important.