Session Descriptions
The Programme Committee present the tracks and topics for EBW25. Abstract submissions will shortly open.
Track One: Navigating the Future of Biobanks: Challenges and Innovations
3A: One Health: Non-human Biobanking
From wildlife conservation to agricultural research – non-human biobanks play a vital role in preserving genetic diversity and advancing scientific understanding across disciplines. In this session, we will explore the unique challenges and opportunities associated with organising non-human biobanks, including specimen collection, storage and data management.
4A: Clinical Biobanks: Bridging Research and Patient Care
This session will discuss the key role of clinical biobanks in linking research with patient care in the era of precision medicine. It will address the challenges biobanks facing, including ethical concerns and data management, and present innovative solutions. Experts will present successful case studies demonstrating how biobanks are improving patient engagement and streamlining research processes.
5A: Rare Disease Biobank Insights
Rare diseases, which affect fewer than 1 in 2,000 people, pose unique challenges to research and healthcare, often due to limited sample availability and the diverse nature of these diseases. In this session, we will explore the intricacies of biobanking and its key role in accelerating rare disease research.
7A: Green Biobanking: Paving the Path to Sustainability
recent years, discussions on sustainability have focused mainly on the development of business plans to ensure financial viability. With the high energy costs and climate concerns that we are currently facing, a new dimension has been added to the topic of sustainability. In this session, we will present examples of how green biobanking could be an answer to these challenges.
8A: The Transformative Role of Biobanks in Public Health
The aim of this session is to present how biobanking (e.g. in the field of epidemiology and human biomonitoring) can be a key success factor in accelerating medical progress, e.g. by determining individual biomarkers or deep phenotype profiling with cutting-edge technologies for molecular diagnostics and therapy guidance.
10A: Organisational Profiles
This session will explore the intricacies of establishing and maintaining efficient organisational structures within biobank networks, including governance frameworks, operational models and collaborative strategies. Through case studies and expert insights, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with managing biobank infrastructures.
Track Two: Bridging the Gap: Biobanks and Data-Driven Research
3B: Biobanks in Big Data Research and AI
AI promises an integrated solution for analysing whole slide images, multi-omics data and clinical information but faces challenges, such as the increasing complexity of managing and integrating data from different sources and the need to efficiently use machine learning-based algorithms to process and understand the big data. This session will discuss these challenges.
4B: Navigating the Technical Hurdles of the Upcoming European Data Spaces
The session will explore the complexities of integrating biobanks into emerging European data spaces (e.g. EHDS, EOSC), focusing on the technical challenges and innovative solutions that are essential for seamless data sharing. Experts will discuss interoperability, data governance and security concerns, while highlighting best practices to foster collaboration between biobanks and researchers.
5B: Ensuring Data Security in Biobanks: Strategies and Best Practices
In addition to technical issues, biobanking often raises important privacy and security issues that need to be addressed as biobanks continue to grow in size and scope. Establishing clear data sharing agreements and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations is critical to maintaining partnerships with researchers and protecting donor privacy, while contributing to advances in healthcare and fostering public trust in the research process.
7B: Data Flows in Healthcare Integrated Biobanking
Healthcare collects valuable clinical information, images and biosamples with value for scientific reserach and innovation. This session will highlight innovative approaches to integrating biobanking workflows into healthcare systems and health-related data flows.
8B: Best Practices for Biobanking Data Integration
Innovative biobanks typically combine genetic information with a range of other data on the same individuals, in addition to the underlying samples. This session will discuss the challenges of data management in biobanking, which requires careful consideration of technical, ethical and regulatory factors. It will present effective data management strategies such as standardisation, metadata annotation and the integration of advanced technologies.
10B: Ensuring Excellence: Elevating Data Quality in Biobanking
Medical studies based on data of unknown or questionable quality are useless or even dangerous, as shown by recent examples of withdrawn studies. In this session, we will discuss innovative quality dimensions for data sets linked to biobanks and propose representations of both metadata and data quality documentation to help researchers effectively and efficiently identify suitable data sets for medical studies.
Track Three: Biobanks – Pathways to Quality and Efficiency
3C: Biobank Automation: Challenges, Opportunities and Solutions
As the demand for high-quality biological samples grows, automation presents both significant opportunities and complex challenges. This session will explore innovative technologies that streamline sample management, improve data integrity and enhance operational workflows. Experts will present real-world case studies and discuss best practices for overcoming obstacles, ensuring compliance and maximising the value of biobanks in research and clinical applications.
4C: Implementing and Securing Quality Control in Biobanking
The session will highlight the essential framework for ensuring high quality biobanking practices. Strategies for quality validation and verification will be covered, emphasising the importance of interlaboratory comparisons and proficiency testing to improve reproducibility and reliability. Experts will discuss best practices for implementing quality control measures, overcoming challenges and using innovative approaches to ensure the integrity of biobanks.
5C: Samples Fit-for-Purpose – Optimisation of Pre-analytics
Preanalytical quality indicators are critical to ensuring the analytical stability and performance of samples for most laboratory tests. This session will therefore focus on promoting the importance of quality in the pre-analytical phase of the testing process. Both the pre-analytical challenges and analytical opportunities associated with working with these biospecimen types and cellular models in laboratory/clinical medicine, pathology and biobanking will be discussed.
7C: Alternative Quality Concepts
The alternative approach to biobank quality revolves around the idea of improving the way biological samples are collected, stored and shared for research purposes. The alternative approach emphasises flexibility and innovation to adapt to the diverse needs of biomedical research and to create a more dynamic and effective framework that can evolve with the changing scientific environment. Such concepts can e.g. include quality labels developed by BBMRI members and BBMRI-ERIC or audits from sponsors of clinical studies.
8C: Special Samples, Special Needs
This session opens the stage for any special samples, sampling methods or processing techniques that can facilitate innovative research needs and strategies. The focus will be broad and include, among others, novel or rarely collected materials as well as home-based data collection and sampling.
10C: Samples Ready for Multi-omics Research
This session will highlight the critical biobank resources in multi-omics research, their challenges in sample collection and the integration of the requirements of different ‘omics’ fields, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics into the operational biobank routine.
Track Four: Education, ELSI Insights, Stakeholder Collaboration and Patient-Centered Partnerships
3D: Empowering the Next Generation: Education and Training in Biobanking
High quality biobanks require highly qualified staff who have received appropriate training. During this session, we will inform the biobank community about existing education and training opportunities for different levels of biobank staff, from biobank/project managers to technical staff responsible for sample handling and/or data management in the biobank.
4D: Balancing Ethics and Innovation: ELSI in Biobanking
Biobanking is not possible without taking into account all the ethical, social and legal issues that are inextricably linked to biobanking activities. In this session, we will present the current state-of-the-art and available services in the field of ELSI but also discuss the double-edged sword of implementing the new ELSI standards/best practices and the hurdles involved.
5D: Emerging EU Regulations Unveiled: Latest ELSI Developments and National Perspectives
This session explores the transformative impact of new EU regulations on biobanking and their alignment with national laws, focusing on ethical, legal and societal implications (ELSI). Attendees will gain insights into recent EU directives, their implications for consent, data governance and cross-border collaboration, as well as strategies for harmonizing national regulations with EU frameworks.
7D: Patient-Centric Biobanking: Strategies for Engagement and Participation
Experts from academia and patient organisations will explore the role of science and technology studies, science communication and advocacy in shaping public understanding of science, healthcare and policy – particularly in areas such as genomics, digital health and AI-driven healthcare. The session aims to identify best practices for making scientific evidence accessible, relatable and actionable for diverse communities.
8D: Connecting Forces: Effective Stakeholder Management
This session on stakeholder management will explore its vital role in biobanking, highlighting how effective engagement builds trust, ensures ethical practices, and aligns the biobank’s work with the needs of participants, researchers, funders, and regulators. Attendees will learn strategies for addressing privacy, consent, and data usage concerns to promote transparency and collaboration. The session will also discuss sustainable practices, funding opportunities, and approaches to balancing research access with participant rights—key factors for advancing biobank-supported research.
10D: Securing the Future of Biobanks: New Collaboration Models for Sustainability
A new collaborative model for the sustainability of biobanks emphasises partnerships between academic institutions, healthcare organisations, government agencies and private sector stakeholders. By pooling resources, knowledge and technology, these entities can improve the quality and accessibility of biological samples that are critical to disease research, treatments and public health initiatives.