VANCOUVER, British Columbia (PRWEB) March 28, 2018 -- The International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) is pleased to announce the signature of an Affiliate Agreement with the Biobank Branch, China Medicinal Biotech Association (BBCMBA).
“The field of biobanking is expanding globally as it provides the foundation upon which vital medical, environmental, and pharmaceutical research takes place. The release of the ISBER Best Practices 4th Edition will introduce further standardization of the field and boost professionalism,” said Dr. Zisis Kozlakidis, President of ISBER. “We are delighted that ISBER is collaborating with a strong association in China. Working together, BBCMBA and ISBER will provide guidance and support to biobanks nationally and internationally.”
The agreement will facilitate formal regular communication between ISBER and BBCMBA leadership, allowing for increased partnership opportunities and ties to the sizeable biobanking community in China. ISBER and BBCMBA will collaborate to produce a Chinese translation of the ISBER Best Practices: Recommendations for Repositories, Fourth Edition report and work together towards a successful 20th Anniversary ISBER Annual Meeting, taking place May 7-10, 2019 in Shanghai.
“BBCMBA has achieved its objectives through a methodical effort within China. BBCMBA has also recognized the importance of seizing any opportunities for international collaboration. With a focus on collaboration with ISBER over the past years, BBCMBA has launched initiatives to translate ISBER Best Practices since 2012. In addition, BBCMBA has endeavored to encourage Chinese biobankers to participate in ISBER annual conference. It has been very successful in increasing the number of Chinese participants in the ISBER annual conference and raising awareness of ISBER,” said Professor Hengjun Gao, Head of BBCMBA.
In addition, ISBER and BBCMBA will collaborate on the common goal of introducing the ISBER Proficiency Testing for Biobanks into China and investigate the feasibility for joint ISBER/BBCMBA workshops and/or meetings in the future.
“The agreement highlights the opportunity for us to share knowledge and consensus around best practices, and reconcile any differences,” continued Professor Gao. “BBCMBA will further refine its training program by merging valuable elements of ISBER best practices. BBCMBA has launched two other initiatives to expand its enhancement of practice: inspection program of on-site practice and validation program of quality compliance across biobanks. We hope, with this joint effort, we can tap into best practices in China and open to others when needed. We are delighted to have the ISBER 2019 annual conference be held in China. BBCMBA would, as the co-organizer, make all efforts to help in ensuring a successful ISBER conference in the upcoming year.”
To learn more about ISBER, please visit: http://www.isber.org
To learn more about BBCMBA, please visit: http://www.biobank.org.cn
For further information, please contact:
Ana Torres, BA (Hon), MPub
ISBER Executive Director
750 West Pender Street, Suite 301
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 2T7
T: 1-604-484-5693
E: info(at)isber(dot)org
About ISBER:
ISBER is the only global forum that addresses harmonization of scientific, technical, legal, and ethical issues relevant to repositories of biological and environmental specimens. The mission of ISBER as a global organization is to create opportunities for sharing ideas and innovations in biobanking and harmonizes approaches to evolving challenges for biological and environmental repositories. ISBER fosters collaboration, creates education and training opportunities, provides an international showcase for state-of-the-art policies, processes, and research findings, and innovative technologies, products, and services. Together, these activities promote best practices that cut across the broad range of repositories that ISBER serves.
About BBCMBA:
The Biobank Branch, China Medicinal Biotech Association (BBCMBA) was established in 2009 with a vision to treasure Bio-specimen, execution standards, apply full utilization of resources, and property rights protection. BBCMBA is a national committee which works on standardizing biobanking and promoting the standardization of biobanking in China. The slogan of BBCMBA is: Industry standard, Education and training, Academic communication, and International cooperation.
Ana Torres, International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER), http://www.isber.org, +1 604-484-5693, [email protected]
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