A message to biobanks: get the word out or be out

Biobanks are the hidden bottom of the iceberg of healthcare progress. Although important medico-scientific nexus, they are underutilised, under-publicised and undercapitalised. From their improvisational functioning at their emergence to the meticulous professionalisation of today, biobanks have experienced a full internal (r)evolution. However, an equivalent external echo is still missing among the main stakeholders (researchers, clinicians, patients and funders). This is all the more regrettable in that each community is both contributor and recipient in the biobanking web. In this review, we put forward communication as a critically influential but under-tapped resource to maximise the outreach and involvement of each community and subsequently optimise the overall sustainability of biobanks. In a particular setting of disease-oriented biobanks, we present the specific messages to convey to each partner category as well as multi-pronged approaches to do so, locally as well as globally.