The missing melanoma sample taught me everything about biomarker strategy.

Picture this: 3 AM alert. The hospital's -80°C freezer had been down for 6 hours.

200+ precious tissue samples—some irreplaceable—sitting in what was now essentially a very expensive cooler.

But here's what really stung: this wasn't the first time. And it wouldn't be the last.

During my years as a clinical cytogeneticist and clinical researcher, I saw it all:
→ Samples "misplaced" behind a stack of slides
→ Critical specimens sitting unprocessed for days because the lab was swamped
→ That one sample everyone assumed someone else had handled

The clinical teams were brilliant. But biomarker collection? Not their priority (and nor should it be).

They're diagnosing patients, attending tumor boards, troubleshooting lab operations.

Your Phase 2 correlative samples rank somewhere below getting the morning coffee.

This is why biomarker strategy often fails.

Not because the science is wrong. Not because the assay doesn't work.

Because no one planned for the human reality of sample collection.

The companies that succeed? They build operational resilience into their biomarker plans from day one.

Real-time tracking. Backup protocols. Clear accountability chains.

They assume things will go wrong—and they're ready.

📌 Your biomarker strategy is only as strong as your weakest sample collection site.

Is your team planning for perfection—or preparing for reality?