ISBER 2026 Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking
Maria Teresa García de Dávila

Dr. María Teresa García de Dávila is currently a Board Member and President of the Garrahan Foundation in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She graduated in Medicine and later specialized in Pathology at the University of Córdoba, Argentina, and obtained her PhD in Medicine from the University of Buenos Aires. Prior to joining the Garrahan Foundation, she worked for more than 30 years at Garrahan Hospital, where she was Chair of the Department of Pathology and Director of the Paediatric Tumour Bank. She has held her current leadership role at the Foundation since 2001. 

Dr. García de Dávila has received numerous distinctions in recognition of her research contributions, including the Eufemio Uballes Award for Cancer Research from the National Academy of Medicine (1999), the Ángel Centeno Award from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires (2001), and both the Bernardino Rivadavia and Marcelino Herrera Vegas Awards from the National Academy of Medicine (2004). Additional recognitions include the Hospital Garrahan Award (2005), the POEN Award (2008), the INNOVAR Award from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MINCyT) (2013), the Hospital Británico Medical Association Award (2014), the Fundación Fiorini Biennial Award (2014), the ISalud Award (2015), and the AMOHB Award (2020). 

In 2023, she was appointed Head of the Institutional Biobank at Hospital Británico in Buenos Aires. She also organized the ISBER Regional Symposium in Buenos Aires in September 2025, which brought together members of the ISBER Board and more than 90 biobank researchers from Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, and Argentina. She is a member of REBLAC (Red de Biobancos de América Latina y el Caribe) and acts as one of its scientific advisors. 

At the Garrahan Foundation, Dr. García de Dávila leads the International Relationships and Research Fellowship Program, overseeing a team of fifteen fellows. She collaborates with pathologists from paediatric centres across Argentina to support diagnostic activities, provide technical assistance, and facilitate access to equipment and supplies, in line with the Foundation’s mission that no child should die at the dawn of life. As part of this work, she travels throughout the country with an itinerant team of physicians and technicians to assess regional needs in pathology diagnosis and treatment. 

Dr. García de Dávila is an active member of several national and international medical societies. She served as President of the Argentine Society of Pathology for four years, organizing numerous national and international congresses, meetings, and educational courses. Since 2001 she has been a consultant to the Argentine Hospital 
Paediatric Cancer Registry (ROHA) and, since 2011, to the National Cancer Institute of Argentina (INC). She has also represented the Postgraduate Course in Pathology on the Board of Certification of the National Academy of Medicine and participated in the ad hoc Biobanks Commission of the MINCyT. 

She is a member of several professional societies, including the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP), the International Academy of Pathology (IAP), the Society for Paediatric Pathology (SPP), the Latin American Society of Pathology (SLAP/SLAPPE), and the International Society of Paediatric Liver Tumours (SIOPEL) expert panel. She also reviews research projects for the National Cancer Institute of Argentina and has been a member of the Certification Council for Health Professionals of the National Academy of Medicine since 2016. 

Dr. García de Dávila has authored numerous publications on paediatric tumours, including retinoblastoma, hepatoblastoma, and neuroblastoma, as well as on hepatic and gastrointestinal pathology. 

Note from the ISBER Nominating Committee: It’s our pleasure to announce that Dr. María Teresa García de Dávila has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 ISBER Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking Award. This award honors her contributions to advancing biobanking and her instrumental role as an advocate and mentor for many colleagues in South America. Most recently, Dr. García de Dávila was a key force for creating the partnership between the Garrahan Foundation and ISBER that created the first ISBER meeting in South America in September 2025. Her life-time body of work is substantial and includes the advancement of biobanking at the national level through several health systems in Argentina, as well as mentorship and advocacy for colleagues at the international level. Lastly, her world-class expertise, as a pathologist and as a biobanker, had a direct impact on the development of many disease-based and population-based biobanks in Argentina. Congratulations to Dr. García de Dávila for her outstanding achievement!

ISBER 2026 Leadership Award
Clare Allocca

Clare Allocca is a retired Physical Scientist and Senior Advisor for Standardization in the Standards Coordination Office at NIST. Clare has led and supported extensive standardization and conformity assessment activities, and held multiple chair, secretariat, and convenor roles, both internationally and domestically, within ISO/TC276 Biotechnology, ISO/TC276/SC1 Analytical methods for Biotechnology, and IEC-ISO/JTC3 Quantum technologies. As an expert of ISO/TC276/WG2 Biobanking & bioresources, she co-authored ISO 20387:2018 Biotechnology - Biobanking – General requirements for biobanking and its implementation guide. Clare is Past President for the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) and past Vice-Chair of the ISBER Standardization Community of Practice. She has 40 years of experience in research and development, program management, technology management, strategy, and standardization. 

Clare holds S.B. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering and Geochemistry, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an M.S. degree in Ceramic Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an Executive Master of Management of Technology jointly from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School and School of Engineering.

Note from the ISBER Nominating Committee: We are pleased to recognize Clare Allocca, who has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 ISBER Leadership Award. Clare’s career-long dedication to the mission and goals of ISBER has been marked by vision, innovation, and a commitment to excellence. As Past-President, Clare guided ISBER through strategic initiatives that enhanced its position as the leading international organization for biobanking professionals. She introduced impactful programs that not only aligned with ISBER’s strategic priorities but also advanced operational excellence for biobanks worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare responded with agility and strategic vision by leading a series of manuscripts and initiatives that addressed emergency preparedness in biobanks. Beyond her technical accomplishments, Clare has served as an influential mentor and connector within the ISBER community. Congratulations to Clare!

Award sponsored by MVE Biological Solutions

ISBER 2026 Special Service Awards
Javeria Aijaz

Dr. Javeria Aijaz is Head of the Biorepository Unit at Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN), Pakistan’s largest not-for-profit healthcare system providing free, high-quality care and an ISBER member. Dr. Aijaz has contributed to ISBER presentations and roundtable discussions and organized seminars at national conferences to promote biobanking and ISBER’s role, strengthening capacity for indigenous research and regional collaboration. An ISBER Regional Ambassador from her unit, also ASCP-certified QBRS through an ISBER grant, reflects her leadership and commitment to advancing biorepository sciences in Pakistan.

Working within a resource-constrained, low–middle income setting, she leads the development of biobanking infrastructure and standards for locally relevant research. She established Pakistan’s first pediatric acute leukemia biobank and oversees infectious disease collections, including drug-resistant organisms. She is leading expansion to a dedicated biobanking facility with advanced liquid nitrogen systems, automation, a custom information platform, and progression toward Biorepository Accreditation Program (BAP) accreditation, while also advancing ethical research and national biobanking collaboration.

Note from the ISBER President: Dr. Javeria Aijaz is recognized for her far-reaching promotion and support of ISBER. As a regional ambassador of the IPR region, Dr. Aijaz has contributed to ISBER through her involvement in sustainable biobanking initiatives in low‑resource settings. Her broader biobanking achievements—particularly the establishment of Pakistan’s first pediatric acute leukemia biobank, developed using ISBER-aligned best practices—also reinforce her contributions to ISBER’s mission of improving global biobanking quality, equity, and standards.

Jonas Astrin

Jonas is section head and curator of the LIB Biobank at Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, based at Museum Koenig, Bonn, Germany. He trained as molecular zoologist and as scientific librarian. Merging these specializations almost naturally led him to animal biobanking. Trying to bring the various 'biobanking tribes' more closely together, Jonas is active in many biobanking networks, such as GGBN, the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (for which LIB currently hosts the secretariat), ISBER, IUCN's Animal Biobanking for Conservation Specialist Group, the Association of German Cryobanks, or the Frozen Ark. The LIB Biobank which excels through its skilled and motivated team is dedicated to storing and facilitating animal and environmental DNA, fixed tissue and viable cells, among many other projects and disciplines for wildlife forensics, conservation, or reference genome projects. It also conducts methodological work and is involved in capacity building.

Note from the ISBER President: Dr. Jonas Astrin is recognized for his extensive work on the 2025 Joint Biobanking Meeting in South Africa. The ISBER-GGBN Joint Biobanking Conference held in Cape Town from 29 September to 3 October 2025 was a success, bringing together global experts in biodiversity and human biobanking for a dynamic program of talks, workshops, and collaboration under the theme “Where Worlds Align.”

Jennifer Byrne

Dr. Jennifer Byrne was awarded First Class Honours with the University Medal for her Bachelor of Science studies at the University of Queensland, Australia, where she also obtained her PhD in cancer genetics. Jennifer is currently Director of Biobanking- New South Wales Health, and Professor of Molecular Oncology at the University of Sydney. She is the 2025-2026 recipient of the David Vaux Research Integrity Fellowship Award from the Australian Academy of Science, and the recipient of the 2025-2026 Australasian Biospecimen Network Association’s award for achievement in biobanking. Jennifer is based at the New South Wales Health Statewide Biobank in Sydney, where she oversees biobanking programs within New South Wales Health, drives collaborations, and leads and advocates for biobanking workforce planning and education. In her previous roles, Jennifer has led the establishment, oversight and networking of cancer biobanks, informed by her experience of employing human biospecimens in research over some 30 years.

Note from the ISBER President: Dr. Jennifer Byrne is recognized for her commitment to ISBER and in particular her chairing the ISBER Webinar Taskforce. Dr. Byrne’s work has been essential to promoting ISBER, offering members extensive value in education and training. These webinars provide practical, real‑world insights from experts across the field and are designed to support biobankers at all experience levels.

Jason Chen

Jason Chen is a results-driven leader with extensive expertise spanning over two decades in team management, project coordination, and strategic partnership development within global genomics, biobanking, national laboratories, hospitals, academic institutions, museums, and other biotechnology sectors. He is internationally recognized as an ISO/TC 276 Biotechnology Expert, serves as ISBER Director-at-Large for the China Region, and is an Executive Committee Member of the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN).

Throughout his distinguished career, Jason has held prominent roles, including Assistant Director at China National GeneBank (BGI), Director of Business Development and Senior Research Operations Manager at Complete Genomics, Inc., and Sponsored Programs Analyst at the San Jose State University Research Foundation. He holds a degree from the University of California, Davis.

Note from the ISBER President: Mr. Jason Chen is recognized for his role as a co-Chair for the ISBER 2026 annual meeting held in Shenzhen, China. Mr. Chen has been the China Director at Large (DAL), working diligently as a member of the Board of Directors. Along with Debra Leiolani Garcia, his efforts ensured a successful partnership with the Biobank Branch of the China Medicinal Biotech Association (BBCMBA), to build out first joint World Biobanking Congress.

Ruidong Ma

Dr. Ruidong Ma earned his Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering (specifically in cryobiology) from the University of Washington - Seattle (UW), and his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri - Columbia. Currently, he is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at Northeastern University. He also serves as the Lab Manager for the Center for Cryo-Biomedical Engineering and Artificial Organs. Dr. Ma’s research has focused on fundamental and applied cryobiology. His work covers a variety of topics, including cryopreservation rewarming strategies, the development of multifunctional cell-processing systems, and the design and optimization of electromagnetic resonant cavities for enhanced rewarming. Recently, Dr. Ma has been working to reduce thermal runaway during dielectric heating in cryopreservation.

Dr. Ma actively serves in the cryobiology and biopreservation communities. He serves as an invited reviewer for the journal Biopreservation and Biobanking and is a member of ISBER, the Society for Cryobiology, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Over the past five years, Dr. Ma has made meaningful contributions to the field through a range of leadership and community-building efforts. During his Ph.D., Dr. Ma co-founded the International Cryobiological Young Researchers (ICYR) group, helping build a community that united young Ph.D. students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career investigators. He organized the group's conference trip at the 2025 Cryobiology Conference in Washington, D.C., and later forged a connection between ICYR and ISBER — broadening ISBER's reach among researchers grounded in the fundamental principles of cryobiology.

Note from the ISBER President: Dr. Ruidong Ma is recognized for his significant contributions to the ISBER over the past five years. He has served on conference planning task forces, organized numerous activities and led local biobank tours, and has been involved in ISBER initiatives including the 25th anniversary celebration documentary video. In 2025, Dr. Ma played a leadership role in initiating and organizing the new Cryopreservation and Cryobiology Special Interest Group in ISBER. This SIG plays an important role in promoting fundamental and translational research on cryobiological science and technology in the biopreservation and biobanking community worldwide.

Note from the ISBER President: Dr. Antonio Hugo Campos, Dr. Dianne Chadwick, Dr. Gouri Mahajan, and Dr. Billy Schleif are recognized for their work on ISBER 2025 Argentina Regional Meeting. The meeting marked ISBER’s first regional event in South America and brought together a diverse community of biobankers, researchers, clinicians, and students from across Latin America and beyond. The meeting, organized in partnership with the Garrahan Foundation and the British Hospital of Buenos Aires, focused on key themes such as the value of biobanks, ethical considerations, best practices, sustainability, rare‑disease biobanking, and international collaboration. With a program designed to strengthen regional cooperation and highlight local and global biobanking achievements, the event successfully fostered dialogue, knowledge‑sharing, and capacity‑building across a rapidly growing biobanking landscape.

Antonio Hugo Campos

Dr. Antonio Hugo Campos is a pathologist and researcher with over 20 years of experience in biobanking and biorepositories. He has been actively involved in coordinating biobanks, promoting awareness of their importance for scientific advancement across Brazil and Latin America, and fostering the integration of regional biobanking initiatives with the global biobanking community. He has also contributed to the development and refinement of the Brazilian ethical and technical standards for human research biobanking.

Dianne Chadwick

Dr. Dianne Chadwick is Director of the Ontario Tumour Bank, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and on faculty at the University of Toronto, Canada. She has developed and teaches a novel graduate-level course on biobanking and is leading formation of a provincial biobank network to foster collaboration and facilitate research access to repository resources. An active member of ISBER for over a decade, Dianne is in-coming Director-at-Large (Americas). She looks forward to continuing to contribute to ISBER by advancing the Regional Ambassador program and enhancing connections with current and prospective ISBER members through outreach and events.

Gouri Mahajan

Dr. Gouri Mahajan is an internationally recognized researcher serving as the Director of the Arizona Biorepository and Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. With over 24 years of experience spanning clinical and basic science research, she also represents the Americas as a Regional Ambassador for ISBER. Dr. Mahajan earned her M.B.B.S. from the University of Pune, India and a Ph.D. in Clinical Health Sciences from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA where she later completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Psychiatry and Human Behavior. An accomplished researcher and mentor, she has spearheaded major grant-funded initiatives in biobanking, cancer genomics, and translational psychiatry while contributing to more than 19 peer-reviewed publications. Her commitment to the scientific community is reflected both in her extensive body of work and her dedication to mentoring students across multiple academic disciplines.

William Schleif

William “Billy” Schleif, Ph.D. is the scientific director of the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Pediatric Biorepository and co-director of the Pediatric Biospecimen Innovation Center in the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Institute for Clinical and Translational Research in St. Petersburg, FL. He is also an assistant professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Medicine. He is the outgoing ISBER Director-at-Large, Americas (2023-2026) and the incoming President-Elect. He worked on behalf of ISBER to strengthen engagement with S. American and Latin American colleagues, culminating in the ISBER 2025 Argentina Regional Meeting and the special issue of Biopreservation and Biobanking focused on Biobanking in Latin America.

2026 Best Paper Award

The ISBER Best Paper Award in Biopreservation and Biobanking (“Best Paper Award”) recognizes a most impactful paper that was published in ISBER's official journal, Biopreservation and Biobanking (BIO), in the previous one year. The Best Paper Award Nomination Committee is composed of the BIO Editor-in-Chief, three Deputy Editors, the European Editor, the Asian Editor, and one Section Editor. Selection of the Best Paper Award is based on paper qualities including both originality/novelty of the research and its potential applications in biopreservation and biobanking fields, ranging from biobanking governance, operation, management, cryobiology, cryopreservation, cold chain, ethical/legal/social issues, to biospecimen science and quality control, etc. This award was created in 2022.

Join us in congratulating our 2026 recipient:

Dean Shehu, Mi-Ok Kim, John Rosendo, Nevan Krogan, David O. Morgan and B. Joseph Guglielmo, “Institutional Conversion to Energy-Efficient Ultra-Low Freezers Decreases Carbon Footprint and Reduces Energy Costs", Volume 23, Number 3, 2025, DOI: 10.1089/bio.2024.0070

Click here to view this paper.

2026 Best Poster Award

The co-recipients of this year's Best Poster Awards are:

PG-01: Exploring a Shared Ecosystem for Biobanks in Chinese Research Hospitals: A Collaborative Innovation Model Based on Blockchain and Smart Contracts

by Pengyan Zhang, Kai Jiang, Liu Zheng, and Xiaonan Kang

PH-02: Bridging the Gap from Operational Function to Accreditable Quality: Implementation of a Unified Quality Management System Driven by Automated Processes and Digital SOPs at the MUB Biobank

by Anna Michalska-Falkowska, Dorota Juchniewicz, Karine Sargsyan

Congratulations to our poster award recipients!

2026 New Innovation Product Award

Annually, ISBER awards the New Innovation Product Award to highlight new, innovative products in the biobanking field. ISBER is pleased to recognize the following co-recipients for 2026:

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ https://www.prweb.com/releases/persian-translation-of-best-practices-for-repositories-fifth-edition-now-available-at-httpswwwisberorgbpr-302662462.html -- The International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) is pleased to announce the release of the Persian translation of the ISBER Best Practices: Recommendations for Repositories, Fifth Edition. This is the definitive best practices guide for biological and environmental repositories across the world. (Available for download at www.isber.org/bpr).

The ISBER Best Practices provide clear guidance to novices and experienced professionals on how to recognize and fulfill their responsibilities, while offering practical advice on how to manage and support all types of repositories. This document is intended to be of use to repositories operating worldwide within or for research sectors, as well as individuals or organizations that may be managing specimens outside the formal structure of a repository. The ISBER Best Practices can form a foundation for repositories, guiding a repository's policies, practices, procedures, and operations.

This Persian translation will make the Best Practices 5th Edition more accessible to professionals worldwide and is a testament to the dynamic worldwide growth of the biorepository field. In addition to Persian, the Best Practices 5th Edition is also available in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish.

"In response to user feedback, the Fifth Edition of ISBER's Best Practices has been thoroughly restructured and updated," said Dr. Gregory H. Grossman, ISBER President. "Its Persian translation provides detailed, standardized protocols and best practices for Persian-speaking professionals managing biological and environmental repositories, encompassing both evidence-based and consensus-based approaches to specimen and data lifecycle management. This translation further underscores ISBER's global impact and its dedication to promoting, supporting and strengthening biobanks and biorepositories around the globe."

Dr. Vahid Haghpanah, lead of the Persian translation team, emphasized the importance of this milestone: "The Persian translation of the Fifth Edition of ISBER Best Practices represents a significant step toward advancing scientific and operational standards for biorepositories across the Persian-speaking region." He added, "This work not only enables professionals in biobanking to align with global standards, but also fosters opportunities for international collaboration in biological research."

Dr. Haghpanah further noted: "Our translation effort was guided by a commitment to scientific accuracy, fidelity to technical concepts, and respect for the Persian language, ensuring that readers can rely on the document with confidence."

ISBER extends its gratitude to the dedicated Persian translation team for their contributions to this publication, with special acknowledgement of Dr. Vahid Haghpanah.

About the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories:

ISBER (www.isber.org) is the only global forum that addresses harmonization of scientific, technical, legal, and ethical issues relevant to repositories of biological and environmental specimens.

ISBER fosters collaboration; creates education and training opportunities; provides a forum for the dissemination of state-of-the-art policies, processes, and research findings; and provides an international showcase for innovative technologies, products, and services. Together, these activities promote best practices that cut across the broad range of repositories that ISBER serves. Join ISBER here.

Media Contact

Dana Cooper, ISBER, 1 604-484-5693, info@isber.org, isber.org

Vancouver, BC, Canada, September 12, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- https://www.prweb.com/releases/spanish-translation-of-best-practices-for-repositories-fifth-edition-now-available-at-httpswwwisberorgbpr-302552276.html The International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) is pleased toannounce the release of the Spanish translation of the ISBER Best Practices: Recommendations for Repositories, Fifth Edition. This is the definitive best practices guide for biological and environmental repositories across the world. (Available for download at www.isber.org/bpr).

The ISBER Best Practices provide clear guidance to novices and experienced professionals on how to recognize and fulfill theirresponsibilities, while offering practical advice on how to manage and support all types of repositories. This document is intended to be of useto repositories operating worldwide within or for research sectors, as well as individuals or organizations that may be managing specimensoutside the formal structure of a repository. The ISBER Best Practices can form a foundation for repositories, guiding a repository's policies,practices, procedures, and operations.

This Spanish translation will make the Best Practices 5th Edition more accessible to professionals worldwide and is a testament to the dynamicworldwide growth of the biorepository field.

“In response to user feedback, the 5th Edition of ISBER’s Best Practices has been thoroughly restructured and updated,” said Dr. Gregory H.Grossman, ISBER President. “Its Spanish translation provides detailed, standardized protocols for Spanish-speaking professionals managingbiological and environmental repositories, encompassing both evidence-based and consensus-based approaches to specimen and datalifecycle management.”

"The translation of ISBER Best Practices into Spanish will positively impact the biobanking community across the EMEA region, where diversecultures and many languages are represented,” said Dr. Engela Conradie, Director-at-Large of the EMEA region. “I applaud ISBER for itscommitment to making best practices more accessible to the global community."

ISBER extends its gratitude to the Spanish-speaking colleagues – many of whom are from Spanish biobanks – for their commitment totranslating this publication, with special acknowledgement of María José Marín Vidalled from Valdecilla Biobank.

About the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories:
ISBER (www.isber.org) is the only global forum that addresses harmonization of scientific, technical, legal, and ethical issues relevant torepositories of biological and environmental specimens.
ISBER fosters collaboration; creates education and training opportunities; provides a forum for the dissemination of state-of-the-art policies,processes, and research findings; and provides an international showcase for innovative technologies, products, and services. Together, theseactivities promote best practices that cut across the broad range of repositories that ISBER serves. Join ISBER today at www.isber.org/membership.

This Japanese translation will make the Best Practices 5th Edition more accessible to professionals worldwide and is a testament to the dynamic worldwide growth of the biorepository field.

"The Best Practices 5th Edition was significantly revised in content and structure, based on ideas emanating from users' feedback on the previous edition," said Dr. Dayong Gao, President of ISBER. "The Japanese translation of the ISBER Best Practices is very valuable and especially helpful for the Japanese-speaking biobanking community for the management of biological and environmental specimen repositories, covering either evidence-based or consensus-based practices for collection, processing, long-term preservation, retrieval and distribution of the specimens and their information."

"I am very pleased that the latest ISBER Best Practices is available in Japanese and will have wider reach to our Japanese colleagues," said Dr. Wayne Ng, ISBER Director-At-Large of the Indo-Pacific Rim region. "ISBER looks forward to offering the Best Practices in more languages in the future to support wider non-English speaking biobanking communities."

"Twenty eight experts and four supervisors worked together to ensure that the translation is accurate and easy to be understand," said Dr. Kazuyuki Matsushita, team lead of the Japanese translation team.

ISBER would like to thank the dedicated Japanese colleagues for their involvement in the translation of this publication, with special acknowledgement of Dr. Kazuyuki Matsushita, Dr. Hiroaki Onishi, Dr. Tatsuaki Tsuruyama, and Dr. Koh Furuta.

About the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories:

ISBER is the only global forum that addresses harmonization of scientific, technical, legal, and ethical issues relevant to repositories of biological and environmental specimens.

ISBER fosters collaboration; creates education and training opportunities; provides a forum for the dissemination of state-of-the-art policies, processes, and research findings; and provides an international showcase for innovative technologies, products, and services. Together, these activities promote best practices that cut across the broad range of repositories that ISBER serves. Join ISBER today here.

Biobanking and Biopreservation is the official journal of ISBER. To access the journal please visit: http://www.liebertpub.com/overview/biopreservation-and-biobanking/110/.

VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) is pleased to announce the release of the Chinese translation of the ISBER Best Practices: Recommendations for Repositories, Fifth Edition. This is the definitive best practices guide for biological and environmental repositories across the world. (Available for download at www.isber.org/bpr).

The ISBER Best Practices provide clear guidance to novices and experienced professionals on how to recognize and fulfill their responsibilities, while offering practical advice on how to manage and support all types of repositories. This document is intended to be of use to repositories operating worldwide within or for research sectors, as well as individuals or organizations that may be managing specimens outside the formal structure of a repository. The ISBER Best Practices can form a foundation for repositories, guiding a repository's policies, practices, procedures, and operations.

This Chinese translation will make the Best Practices 5th Edition more accessible to professionals worldwide and is a testament to the dynamic worldwide growth of the biorepository field.

"The Best Practices 5th Edition was significantly revised in content and structure, based on ideas emanating from users' feedback on the previous edition," said Dr. Dayong Gao, President of ISBER. "The Chinese translation of the ISBER Best Practices is very valuable and especially helpful for the Chinese-speaking biobanking community for the management of biological and environmental specimen repositories, covering either evidence-based or consensus-based practices for collection, processing, long-term preservation, retrieval and distribution of the specimens and their information."

"In China, the biobank industry has been expanding rapidly in recent years, driven by major players like the China National GeneBank (CNGB), the Biobank Branch of the China Medical Biotechnology Association (BBCMBA), and other leading provincial, hospital-based, and university-based biobanks," said Jason Chen, ISBER Director-At-Large of the China region. "With the help of the precise and clear translation of the ISBER Best Practices, we hope our biobankers can continue to make significant contributions to the industry in the vibrant environment."

"The release of the Best Practices in Chinese is a great opportunity to strengthen international cooperation in biospecimen science and contribute to the high-quality development of the international biomedical industry," said Prof. Hengjun Gao, President of the BBCMBA.

ISBER would like to thank the dedicated Chinese colleagues for their involvement in the translation of this publication, with special acknowledgement of Xuexun Zhou.

About the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories:

ISBER (www.isber.org) is the only global forum that addresses harmonization of scientific, technical, legal, and ethical issues relevant to repositories of biological and environmental specimens.

ISBER fosters collaboration; creates education and training opportunities; provides a forum for the dissemination of state-of-the-art policies, processes, and research findings; and provides an international showcase for innovative technologies, products, and services. Together, these activities promote best practices that cut across the broad range of repositories that ISBER serves. Join ISBER today here.

Biobanking and Biopreservation is the official journal of ISBER. To access the journal please visit: http://www.liebertpub.com/overview/biopreservation-and-biobanking/110/.

Media Contact

Dana Cooper, ISBER, 1 604-484-5693, info@isber.org, isber.org

 Nominations for 2026 are OPEN!  ISBER would like to have your input on 2026 Board candidates and Award recipients.

ISBER welcomes nominations for the following Board positions:

• President-Elect
• Secretary
• Director-at-Large: Americas (DAL AMER)
• Director-at-Large: Indo-Pacific Rim (DAL IPR)

Only ISBER members are eligible to submit nominations for the ISBER Board of Directors. To learn more about the office description for each role and to submit your nominations, please visit: www.isber.org/2026BoardNominations

ISBER welcome nominations for the following Awards:

• Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking Award: The ISBER Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking Award is designed to recognize individuals who have made outstanding, indisputable contributions to the field of biobanking. The award can be given for a single outstanding achievement or a life-time body of outstanding work in the field.  Criteria to be considered include the nature, significance, and impact on the field of the outstanding achievement(s). The awardee being recognized should have made seminal, intellectual contributions that have had a wide-spread impact on the field of Biobanking. Their contributions may include: advancing the science of biobanking, creating depth of knowledge, demonstrating world-class expertise, making remarkable discoveries, bringing the field into further prominence. The recipient is not required to be an ISBER member.
  
  
• Leadership Award: The ISBER Leadership Award is designed to honor ISBER members who have demonstrated exceptional leadership to further the mission and goals of the society and/or significant, long-standing contributions to the society. ISBER will recognize contributors who have played critical roles in developing and executing ISBER's vision and mission. Examples of ways an individual may have demonstrated exceptional leadership include: Advanced the ISBER mission, vision, and goals through the development of a key project/initiative; Has a history of longstanding meaningful contributions; Drove meaningful change that improved the association. Throughout their tenure with the association and in particular as the task was being completed, the individual demonstrated: excellence, integrity, and performance beyond expectations for the benefit of ISBER. The recipient must be an ISBER member.
  
  
• NEW: Resilience in Biobanking Award: ISBER's new Resilience in Biobanking Award is designed to recognize a Repository Professional or Repository that is overcoming challenges and other logistical barriers to establish or expand a repository/collection; or to advance repository science as an evolving, essential discipline. Challenges may present themselves in the form of infrastructure, topic domain, legal or institutional constraints, cultural norms, and similar.  This recipient is a visionary, committed to facing these matters with a clear focus and functional plan. The impact of awardees work will benefit the broader community through the downstream advances resulted from the collection or repository sciences. The recipient may be an individual or a repository. The recipient is not required to be an ISBER member. Self-nominations are welcome.

Only ISBER members may submit a nomination for the Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking Award and Leadership Award. Member and non-members are invited to submit a nomination for the Resilience in Biobanking Award. To learn more about the awards, past recipients, and to submit your nomination, please visit: https://www.isber.org/2026AwardNominations

DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS:

• 8:59pm North America Pacific Time on October 30, 2025
• 10:59pm North America Central Time on October 30, 2025
• 11:59pm North America Eastern Time on October 30, 2025
• 4:59am Greenwich Mean Time on October 31, 2025
• 5:59am Central European Time on October 31, 2025
• 12:59pm China Standard Time on October 31, 2025

If you have any questions, please contact the ISBER Head Office at info@isber.org.

As the ISBER Regional Meeting kicks off today in Buenos Aires, this newly published article highlights ISBER’s first-ever conference in South America — held in collaboration with the Garrahan Foundation and the British Hospital of Buenos Aires. It’s a unique opportunity to spotlight biobanking efforts across the region.

The two-day program will focus on current topics including the value of biobanks, quality and best practices, ethical considerations, sustainability, and national/international collaboration. Activities will include panels, workshops, and networking opportunities for professionals from different Latin American countries.

Read the full article here (in Spanish): https://www.infobae.com/salud/ciencia/2025/09/10/argentina-sera-sede-de-un-encuentro-clave-sobre-biobancos-y-conservacion-de-muestras-para-investigacion-medica/

The ISBER Award for Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking is designed to recognize individuals who have made outstanding, indisputable contributions to the field of biobanking. Contributions may include; advancing the science of biobanking, creating depth of knowledge, demonstrating world-class expertise, making remarkable discoveries or bringing the field into further prominence. Dr. Jajah Fachiroh was selected as the recipient of the 2025 award. This award honors her groundbreaking contributions to advancing biobanking practices in Indonesia and her exemplary dedication to promoting high-quality, standardized biobanking in low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Fachiroh has been instrumental in establishing biobanking best practices in Indonesia through education and promotion that leverage the expertise from ISBER and other global initiatives. She has influenced the development of the national biobanking framework in Indonesia. Through her leadership as ISBER’s Regional Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific Rim, she has become an invaluable resource and guiding light for the biobanking community in Indonesia and beyond. This well-deserved recognition celebrates Dr. Fachiroh’s commitment, influence, and tireless efforts in shaping the future of biobanking globally.

The ISBER Leadership Award is designed to honor ISBER members who have demonstrated exceptional leadership within ISBER to further the mission and goals of the society. Ways a volunteer may demonstrate exceptional leadership include; developing a key project or initiative, driving meaningful change to improve the society, or having a history of longstanding meaningful contributions with excellence and integrity. Ms. Helen Morrin was selected as the recipient of the 2025 award. Helen has been an active ISBER member since 2007 and, in that time, she has worked tirelessly to further the goals of the ISBER. She is the Past-Chair of the Science Policy Community of Practice and has special interests in ethics, legislation, cultural, and societal issues impacting biobanking and human specimen research. Helen was previously awarded the ISBER Special Service Award in 2023. Her background is in diagnostic pathology and cancer research and she has been involved in biobanking since developing He Taonga Tapu Cancer Society Tissue Bank at the University of Otago, New Zealand in 2000. She is a past executive member of the Australasian Biospecimens Network Association and she has forged a leading role working with indigenous populations and championing culturally responsive biobanking.

It is the privilege of the President of the Board to be able to select several ISBER members for Special Service Awards each year. Eight outstanding ISBER members have been selected to receive this award in 2025 as follows: Dr. Engela Helena Conradie, Dr. Hengjun Gao, Ms. Debra Leiolani Garcia, Ms. Cassandra Griffin, Dr. Gregory Grossman, Dr. Wayne Ng, Dr. Stella Somiari, and Dr. Zhiquan (Andy) Shu. These awardees are from all over the world, covering four regions (Americas, EMEA, Indo-Pacific, China) of the entire ISBER community. They have played pivotal roles and provided outstanding leadership in ISBER as well as regional and global biobanking initiatives, events, publications, and conferences. They have also made distinguished contributions to advancing education in biobanking science and practice, promoting biobank-driven research, fostering collaboration across disciplines and regions, and ensuring that biorepositories continue to serve as vital assets in scientific, medical, agricultural, industrial discovery and development worldwide.

The ISBER Best Paper Award recognizes the most impactful article that was published in Biopreservation and Biobanking (BIO), in the previous 1 year (2024). This award is made possible with the generous support of the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers and an anonymous donor. The Best Paper Award Nomination Committee is composed of the BIO editor-in-chief, three deputy editors, the European editor, the Asian editor, and a Section editor. Selection of the Best Paper Award is based on the paper’s quality, including both originality/novelty of the research and its potential applications in the field of biopreservation and biobanking, ranging from biobanking governance, operation, management, cryobiology, cryopreservation technology, cold chain, ethical/legal/social issues, to biospecimen science and quality control.

The awardees of the 2025 ISBER Best Paper Award were elected to be the co-authors: Xin Li, Shuyong Zhang, Yuqi Zhang, and Xinli Zhou, for their article entitled “Visualization of Ice Crystal Behavior in Mouse Oocytes During High-Speed Quench Cooling and Ice Inhibition by Antifreezing Hydrogels,” Volume 22, Number 4, 2024, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/bio.2023.0108. This article addressed both fundamental and practical issues in cryopreservation, i.e., lethal ice formation and its inhibition during cooling. This study presents a significant advancement in cryopreservation techniques, particularly focusing on oocyte preservation using antifreeze alginate hydrogels. This work not only contributes to optimizing cryoprotectant concentrations but also opens new avenues for improving cryopreservation outcomes in reproductive and regenerative medicine. The combination of advanced visualization techniques and novel hydrogel formulations makes this study an outstanding contribution to the field. The experiment was well designed, the results were solid, and the article was well-written with high-quality images.

The awards were presented at the ISBER Annual General Meeting at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Montreal, Canada in May. ISBER would like to thank the corporate sponsors who generously supported these and other 2025 awards. Congratulations to all our 2025 award recipients!

Please click the following link to view the article:
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1177/19475535251361070

Dr Bartels was the founder of the Wildlife Biological Resource Centre (wBRC), initially established as a working group within the Endangered Wildlife Trust. Under his leadership, the wBRC grew into a national initiative of great strategic importance, evolving into the NZG Wildlife BioBank and eventually the National Wildlife Biobank, now housed within the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).

His career reflected a lifelong dedication to bridging science and conservation. Beyond his foundational work in wildlife biobanking, Paul contributed to education as a lecturer in wildlife management at Tshwane University of Technology. He later founded WildBio Co, a private venture, and CryoWild NPC, a non-profit organisation. His most recent appointment was as a Research Fellow at Stellenbosch University’s Department of Animal Science, where he led cutting-edge work in Cellular Agriculture Biobanking. This emerging field aims to harness the potential of cryopreserved animal cells to develop sustainable alternatives to traditional animal-derived products—transforming industries ranging from food and fashion to conservation and medicine.

Paul was also scheduled to deliver a keynote address at our Joint Biobanking Conference, taking place from 29 September – 3 October 2025 at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, under the theme:

Where worlds align: biodiversity and human biobanks.

Same, but different.

In honour of his remarkable legacy, we will be hosting a Tribute Session during the conference to celebrate his life, work, and enduring impact on the scientific community. More details will be shared in due course.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. Dr Bartels' passion, humility, and relentless drive to innovate in service of both people and the planet will continue to inspire generations to come.

The rewards of working with African wildlife outweigh the risks, for now...

2025 Best Paper Award

The ISBER Best Paper Award in Biopreservation and Biobanking (“Best Paper Award”) recognizes a most impactful paper that was published in ISBER's official journal, Biopreservation and Biobanking (BIO), in the previous one year. The Best Paper Award Nomination Committee is composed of the BIO Editor-in-Chief, three Deputy Editors, the European Editor, the Asian Editor, and one Section Editor. Selection of the Best Paper Award is based on paper qualities including both originality/novelty of the research and its potential applications in biopreservation and biobanking fields, ranging from biobanking governance, operation, management, cryobiology, cryopreservation, cold chain, ethical/legal/social issues, to biospecimen science and quality control, etc. This award was created in 2022.

The 2025 recipient is:

Xin Li, Shuyong Zhang, Yuqi Zhang, and Xinli Zhou, "Visualization of Ice Crystal Behavior in Mouse Oocytes During High-Speed Quench Cooling and Ice Inhibition by Antifreezing Hydrogels", Volume 22, Number 4, 2024, DOI: 10.1089/bio.2023.0108.

Congratulations to Drs. Li, Zhang, and Zhou! Please click here to view the paper in BIO.

2025 Best Poster Award

The winner of this year's Best Poster Award is Poster PC-16 ZIMS - A Biobank Data Management Tool With Global Impacts for Species Conservation. This poster will be presented by Paula Mackie (Toronto Zoo) at the ISBER 2025 Annual Meeting.

Congratulations to Paula and her team! You can view this poster on-site in the poster area, or by signing on to the ISBER virtual platform.

Thank you to Azenta, the sponsor of this year's Poster Award!

2025 Outstanding New Product Award

Annually, ISBER awards the Outstanding New Product Award to highlight a new, innovative product in the biobanking field. A team of expert judges from diverse sectors select one product to receive the Outstanding New Product Award. 

This year, the New Product Award goes to Orcella Instruments for their product Orcella duo™ 1100S.

Please join us in congratulating Orcella Instruments! We invite you to visit them in the exhibit hall at the ISBER 2025 Annual Meeting to learn more about their product.

About Orcella

Orcella Instruments is a leading manufacturer of automated sample storage systems, specializing in the research, development, and production of fully automated biostorage solutions. Our systems span the full temperature spectrum—from +2 to +8 °C to ultra-low and cryogenic conditions—designed to support a wide range of sample formats and storage capacities.

Powered by advanced R&D and a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers, Orcella brings together deep expertise in cryopreservation, automation, and intelligent system design. With a strong commitment to quality and technological excellence, we provide comprehensive, end-to-end solutions for next-generation automated biostorage.

About the Orcella duo™ 1100S

 The Orcella duo™ 1100S is a next-generation, fully automated ultra-low temperature (ULT) storage system featuring Orcella’s proprietary dual-mode cooling technology. This advanced system integrates compressor-based and liquid nitrogen cooling, providing superior sample protection and effectively suppressing ice buildup.

Compact and plug-and-play, the Orcella duo™ 1100S combines cutting-edge automation, robust sample security, intelligent data management, and modular connectivity—making it an ideal solution for scalable, reliable and high performance ULT storage in advanced biobanking environments.

In the article "Honoring Dr. Eng Chon Boon: A Visionary in Biobanking and Cancer Research," authors Wayne Ng and Robert Hewitt pay tribute to the remarkable legacy of Dr. Eng Chon Boon, a trailblazer in the fields of biobanking and oncology. Through his visionary leadership and dedication to advancing biomedical research across Asia and globally, Dr. Boon played a pivotal role in shaping the biobanking landscape. This article reflects on his profound contributions and lasting impact on cancer research and the scientific community.

Eng was also deeply engaged with the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER), earning the ISBER Special Service Award in 2010. His roles included serving as Councillor, Chair of the ISBER Marketing Committee, and member of multiple committees, including Finance, Nominating, Strategic Planning, and Program. He cochaired the local organizing committee for the 2007 ISBER Annual Meeting in Singapore, helping to elevate Singapore’s prominence in the global biobanking community.

Dr. Alison Parry-Jones, ISBER President 2023/24, commemorated Eng’s contributions to ISBER and global biobanking: “Eng’s commitment to biobanking and medical research was unparalleled. I will miss him and his enthusiasm and input at conferences and working groups greatly. His loss will be felt not only in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region but globally, by the biobanking community around the world.”..


Please click the following link to view the article:
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/epub/10.1089/bio.2025.0041

This ISBER Corner Article aims to celebrate ISBER’s anniversary and to provide an overview of ISBER’s major activities and contributions to biopreservation and biobanking. These efforts have significantly impacted biomedical research, human health care and well-being, and agriculture, as well as worldwide biological and environmental conservation efforts...

Please join us in welcoming:

PRESIDENT-ELECT
Stella Somiari
 
View Stella's Position Statement
View Stella's Biosketch  

TREASURER
Anusha Hettiaratchi

 View Anusha's Position Statement   
View Anusha's Biosketch 

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE: EMEA
Engela Helena (Elne) Conradie

View Elne's Position Statement
View Elne's Biosketch

Congratulations to our Board members!

Please click the following link to view the article: https://sampled.com/elevating-global-biobanking-isber/

Please click the following link to view the article:
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/bio.2024.0073

ISBER 2024 Outstanding New Product Award

TECAN'S Phase Separator™

About the Award: Earlier in the spring an international judging panel evaluated 9 products from around the globe on their originality, anticipated impact and value, projected viability of product and market demand. Tecan’s Phase Separator™ was chosen as a winner for a variety of reasons including its ease of integration, manageability and technical innovation.

Please join us in welcoming our 2024 new Board members.

ISBER 2024 Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking
This award is sponsored by Analytical Biological Services 

MARTA CASTELHANO

About the Award: The ISBER Award for Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking is designed to recognize individuals who have made outstanding, indisputable contributions to the field of biobanking. The winning individual is not required to be an ISBER member. Their contributions may include: advancing the science of biobanking, creating depth of knowledge, demonstrating world-class expertise, making remarkable discoveries, bringing the field into further prominence.

Dr. Castelhano received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Veterinary Science degrees from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. Serving as an Associate Research Professor at Cornell University, the Director of the Cornell Veterinary Biobank (CVB) and the Dog Aging Project Biobank, Dr. Castelhano has over 18 years of experience in the standardized collection, processing, storage, and distribution of high-quality biospecimens and associated data.   

Dr. Castelhano is a member of the Education and Training Committee at ISBER, where she creates educational opportunities for biobankers worldwide, and has contributed to the writing of the 5th edition of the ISBER Best Practices: Recommendations for Repositories. A frequent speaker at biobank conferences and symposiums, Dr. Castelhano was invited by the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) to represent the U.S. position in biobanking as an ISO expert and delegate. With her contribution, ISO 20387: General Requirements for Biobanking was published, the first ISO standard created specifically for biobanks. 

In April 2019, Dr. Castelhano led the CVB through third-party conformity assessment by the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) to become the first biobank in the world to receive accreditation to the ISO 20387 standard. Her work is currently funded by the National Institute on Aging (part of the National Institutes of Health – NIH), the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NIH), and Morris Animal Foundation.

ISBER 2024 Leadership Award
This award is sponsored by MVE Biological Solutions 

DIANE McGARVEY

About the Award: The ISBER Leadership Award is designed to honor ISBER members who have demonstrated exceptional leadership to further the mission and goals of the society and/or significant, long-standing contributions to the society. ISBER recognizes contributors who have played critical roles in developing and executing ISBER’s vision and mission.

Diane McGarvey has over 30 years’ experience in biorepository science. She is the Director of the Eastern Division of the NCI-Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN) at the University of Pennsylvania.  She and her team have published on tissue procurement, preservation, and post-preservation processing methodologies. 

Ms. McGarvey has been an ISBER member since it’s early days. She recently served as the ISBER Director-at-Large of the Americas Region previously served on many other ISBER committees. She is currently active in Education and Training Committee.

Teaching our next generation of biobankers has always been a core belief of Ms. McGarvey Along with being the ISBER Workshop Coordinator for several years, she along with Deb Garcia initiated the Biobanking 101 series which has become a successful ISBER webinar series that focuses on basic elements of repository processes and provides tools to biobankers. Ms. McGarvey consults on biorepository start-up, logistics, and management.

ISBER 2024 Special Service Award

ROCIO AGUILAR-QUESADA

About the Award: The ISBER Special Service Awards recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions towards the goals of the Society through the performance of a special service or act on behalf of the organization.

Rocío Aguilar-Quesada has been working as Technical Responsible in the Andalusian Public Health System Biobank in Granada since 2009. She has her PhD in Biochemistry and M.S. in Biobanking and the use of human biological samples for biomedical research. Rocío is currently coordinating and participating in different projects and initiatives related to quality assurance, biospecimen science, and ELSI of the use of biological samples.

Rocío has actively contributed to many ISBER task forces, working groups, and initiatives, including:

• ISBER 2023 Regional Meeting co-chair
• EMEA Regional Ambassador since 2019
• Member of the ISBER Nominating Committee since 2022
• Member of the 2023 and 2024 Outstanding New Product Award Task Force
• Member of the ISBER Biospecimen Science Working Group since 2016
• Contributor of the 5th edition of the ISBER Best Practices: Recommendations for Repositories

ISBER 2024 Special Service Award

KOH FURUTA

About the Award: The ISBER Special Service Awards recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions towards the goals of the Society through the performance of a special service or act on behalf of the organization.

Dr. Koh Furuta is a retired biobanker, who is working as a clinical pathologist. He graduated from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, and started his career as a surgeon. Koh spent 5 years as a postdoc at Johns Hopkins University from 1992 to 1997. During that time, he was exposed to the very early stages of molecular biology and biobanking. After returning to Japan, Koh worked at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo for 15 years. During a sabbatical leave, from 2010 to 2011, he visited Minneapolis, Minnesota to join the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, and learned about cryobiology. 

During Koh's appointment at the National Cancer Center Hospital, he worked with his colleagues to establish a biobank of liquid samples, including blood samples. He was invited to join the Kanagawa Cancer Center in Yokohama in 2015. After contributing to the Kanagawa Cancer Center for three years, he visited IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) in Lyon, France, where he spent 5 months. He returned to Japan just before the outbreak of COVID-19.

Koh served ISBER as Director-At-Large of the Indo-Pacific Rim region from 2019 to April 2023. He is also involved in ISO activities such as TC276WG2 (biobanking), TC212WG1 and WG4 (Clinical Laboratory), and TC147SC4WG26 (Waste Water Epidemiology).

The International Society of Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) Annual Meeting (https://www.isber.org/page/2024Annual) is recognized as the premier event in the field of biobanking. Delegates from around the world meet to network, learn, share their expertise, experience, and progress—contributing to the advancement of biospecimen science. This year, the global biobanking community will convene in Melbourne, Australia, April 8–12. Themed “Dreaming Beyond Barriers: The Future of Biobanking,” this meeting will reflect upon and celebrate the impact of the biobanking community, its innovation and resilience in overcoming barriers, and shared dreams for the future. This annual meeting will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of ISBER, honoring its pioneers and impact, with a look toward the pivotal role that ISBER will play in building the future.

Biobanking is a multidisciplinary field and covers many domains from biomedical and pharmaceutical innovation to agricultural enrichment and environmental conservation. The field of biobanking is evolving as rapid changes in technologies, regulations, and stakeholder needs affect our discipline. Staying abreast of the latest advances and changes is critical to assure a repository's sustainability, relevance, impact, and utilization. As a leader in the field, ISBER is committed to keeping its members not only informed in this changing landscape but also empowering them to be drivers and innovators of positive change. ISBER's commitment here can be seen in the newly published fifth edition of the ISBER Best Practices (https://www.isber.org/page/BPR), which members will have the opportunity to learn more about at the meeting. Coming together as a community at this meeting allows us to collaboratively build and shape the future.

On a global scale, we are now, more than ever, facing new challenges arising from the impact of communicable disease, aging populations, environmental instability, political unrest, resource scarcity, and questions around the social and ethical applications of new technologies. As leaders and stakeholders, we have a critical role to play in devising strategies to address these challenges and with new challenges come the need for insight and innovation—the transformation of dreams to reality. In Indigenous Australian culture, the Dreaming or Dreamtime embraces the integration of the past, present, and future. It provides a holistic way of life, a moral code, and rules for interacting with each other and the natural environment. With this ethos of collaboration and unity, our community can Dream Beyond the Barriers imposed by the past, explore the challenges of the present, and harness opportunity for a harmonized global approach to the future of biobanking and biospecimen science.

Our host city, Melbourne, is a vibrant metropolis of art, culture, and innovation—a “foodie” and coffee lover's paradise. It presents thriving scientific, medical, and conservation research sectors, driven in partnership with robust and integrated industry support. A truly global city with a multicultural population and proud indigenous history, its spirit of partnership and collaboration makes it a prime location to reunite with old friends and foster new relationships. We will begin the conference with a Welcome to Country ceremony by members of the indigenous community, honoring the land and its connection to people and culture.

We have developed a rich program with symposia covering topics such as biobanking for personalized medicine, environmentally conscious biobanking, social and human factors, Rising Stars in Biobanking, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain. The meeting will feature international speakers, posters, interactive workshops, and round table discussions. Supported by a strong industry and trade presence who maintains a commitment of collaboration with ISBER, it's sure to be a melting pot of ideas, opportunities, and solutions—a biobanker's dream! The in-person meeting will be held from April 8–12, and with social events including speed-networking, fun runs, site visits, and a 25th anniversary soiree celebration, this event is one not to be missed! For those unable to attend the in-person meeting, the virtual meeting will run from May 28–29, featuring highlights from the Melbourne event and further opportunities for engagement.

On behalf of the ISBER 2024 Chairs, Cassandra Griffin (Australia), Dr. Gregory Grossman (USA), and Amanda Moors (USA), along with the Program Taskforce and Local Engagement Taskforce, we welcome you to join us at the ISBER Annual Meeting 2024 in Melbourne, Australia!

Please click the following link to view the article:
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/bio.2024.29131.cjg#utm_source=ETOC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bio

ISBER Launches a Mentoring Program to Enhance Professional Development for Biobankers

[Vancouver, January 22, 2024] – ISBER, a global biobanking organization that creates opportunities for networking, education, and innovation, is proud to announce the launch of its Mentoring Program aimed at supporting members' professional growth in the field of biobanking. The Mentoring Program is a comprehensive educational service designed to facilitate meaningful connections and foster knowledge exchange within the ISBER member community.

As a pioneer in creating opportunities for networking, education, and innovation, ISBER is committed to addressing the emerging challenges faced by repositories worldwide and inspiring novel solutions. The Mentoring Program represents a vital addition to ISBER's diverse range of offerings, enabling members to receive personalized guidance and support from experienced mentors in the industry.

The Mentoring Program centers around a unique matching service that pairs mentees with seasoned mentors who possess the requisite expertise and knowledge. Through this tailored approach, mentees can seek assistance and insights on specific or general questions related to their biobanking practices. The mentors, drawn from a vast pool of accomplished professionals, are committed to sharing their wisdom and empowering the next generation of biobankers.

"We are thrilled to introduce the Mentoring Program as part of ISBER's ongoing commitment to supporting our members through the use of various tools such as BAT, QBRS, webinars, podcasts," said Alison Parry-Jones, President of the ISBER Board. "By providing a platform to connect mentees with mentors who possess extensive experience in biobanking, we aim to create a nurturing environment where knowledge can be exchanged, challenges can be addressed, and innovation can thrive."

The Mentoring Program aims to provide mentees with valuable guidance in various areas, including but not limited to:

• Best practices in biorepository management
• Ethical and legal considerations in biobanking
• Quality control and assurance
• Sample collection, processing, and storage techniques
• Data management and sharing
• Informatics support
• Operations management
• Shipping regulations
• Material Transfer Agreements

ISBER members interested in participating in the Mentoring Program can submit their questions or areas of interest through the dedicated mentoring service portal on the ISBER website. The program administrators will carefully review the submissions and pair each mentee with a suitable mentor who can offer personalized guidance.

ISBER invites all members to take advantage of this unique opportunity to enhance their professional growth and contribute to the advancement of the community. Through the Mentoring Program, ISBER reinforces its commitment to supporting members, fostering collaboration, and driving innovation in the field of biobanking.

For more information about ISBER's Mentoring Program, please visit https://www.isber.org/Mentoring or contact info@isber.org.

About ISBER: ISBER is a global biobanking organization dedicated to creating networking, education, and innovation opportunities in the field of biobanking. With a focus on harmonizing approaches to emerging challenges faced by repositories and promoting novel solutions, ISBER serves as a catalyst for knowledge exchange and collaboration. For more information, visit: https://www.isber.org/Mentoring.

Media Contact:
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