Maximizing the capabilities of the DoD serum repository to meet current and future needs: Report of the needs panel

In June 2013, the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, Silver Spring, MD, hosted two panels of civilian and military public health and laboratory professionals to address medical surveillance and primary care needs of the Department of Defense (DoD) that might be met by a biorepository that contained specimens that would be suitable for testing using emerging laboratory technologies. The first panel, the “needs panel,” was asked to identify capabilities that were needed by the Military Medicine community to better perform their jobs but were either not presently available or not supported by specimens archived in the current DoD Serum Repository (DoDSR). A second panel, the “technology panel,” considered whether current technology existed to support the needs identified by the first panel. This report summarizes the findings of the needs panel, to include recommendations regarding both current capabilities using the DoDSR and possible future capabilities.