The 2nd IBCQ International Biobanking Conference 2021: Adapting to New Avenues of Sustainability Speakers Session

March 10, 2021 | 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM

Virtual Conference

Marianne Henderson, Senior Advisor on Biobanking, NCI Center for Global Health co-presented a session at the 2nd IBCQ International Biobanking Conference titled "Coronavirus and Biobanking: The Collective Global Experiences of the First Wave and Bracing for the Second." She was joined by Dr. Zisis Kozlakidis, Head of Laboratory Services and Biobanking at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization.

As the SARS-CoV2 infections causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have continued to spread the world for the greater part of a year, it is important to continue to adapt and prepare for the ongoing pandemic challenges. The field of biobanking has been recognized as an integral part of the global research infrastructure and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The adaptations that have occurred in biobanking in response to the pandemic include the streamlining of workflows for the rapid and safe collection of high-quality samples and associated data from area of high transmission; rapid sharing of data globally; and support of research to understand the biology of the virus, as well as its clinical management and vaccine development. Effectively and efficiently managing all these adaptations will matter not only to patients with COVID-19, but also to health care workers, other vulnerable groups who are at risk of infection, and the population as a whole. This presentation will highlight the activities across the world that were subject to papers that were published in the December 2020 Issue of Biopreservation and Biobanking.