Webinars

Optimizing Biobank Operations with Sustainable, Scalable Sample Management

Webinar Sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific: October 22, 2025

• Free

This session focused on creating scalable biobank operations through energy-efficient cold storage, innovations in sample tracking and identification, and flexible logistics strategies. The workshop will emphasize aligning sustainability goals with improved sample integrity and operational flexibility.

Writing a Successful, High-Quality Biobanking Manuscript for Journal Pub

The live webinar was hosted on September 25, 2025

• Free for members, $50 US for non-members

Presented by: Marianna Bledsoe, Editor-in-Chief for Biopreservation and Biobanking Journal, Marianne Henderson Social Media Editor and Editorial Board Member of Biopreservation and Biobanking Journal, Amanda Rush, Editorial Board Member of Biopreservation and Biobanking Journal

Biobanking manuscripts can be rejected for a variety of reasons. These include the inappropriate selection of a target journal, lack of innovation, a poorly-written manuscript, missing or unclear hypothesis, statistical and data issues, and statements or conclusions not supported by the data. Often, a manuscript may require several rounds of review to address peer reviewer comments. This webinar is intended to help attendees identify potential challenges to publication ahead of time. It will also describe the editorial and peer review process and provide advice on writing a successful, high-quality manuscript for timely publication in BIO or other relevant journals.

Safeguarding Biobank Sample Integrity with High-throughput Molecular Fingerprinting

Webinar sponsored by Standard BioTools: September 10, 2025

• Free

Ensuring accurate sample identification is a cornerstone of high-quality biobanking. Join experts from the Indiana University Genetics Biobank (IUGB) and Standard BioTools to learn how molecular fingerprinting using a microfluidics-based SNP genotyping workflow can help detect mishandling of specimens. Topics will include panel design, QC best practices and operational insights from established biorepository workflows. Gain practical guidance for implementing scalable, automated identity and quality verification strategies that protect biospecimen integrity across large-scale collections.

Visualizing Ice Crystal Dynamics During Oocyte cryopreservation and Thawing

The live webinar was hosted on July 16, 2025

• Price: Free for Members and Non-Members

Presented by: Dr. Xinli Zhou

ISBER is pleased to feature the recipient of the 2025 Best Paper Award in Biopreservation and Biobanking through this webinar. This award recognizes a most impactful paper that was published in Biopreservation and Biobanking (BIO) each year. Selection of the Best Paper Award is based on 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. This award is made possible with the generous support of Mary Ann Liebert Inc. Publishers and an anonymous donor.

This webinar presents recent findings on the real-time visualization of intracellular ice formation and growth in mouse oocytes during cryopreservation and thawing. It highlights the impact of rapid cooling rates and the spatial-temporal dynamics of ice crystals, offering new insights into cryoinjury mechanisms. The presentation also explores the inhibitory effects of antifreezing hydrogels and their potential to reduce ice damage, contributing to the optimization of vitrification protocols and advancing fertility preservation strategies in reproductive biomedicine.

AI in Biobanking Current Situation and Future Perspectives

The live webinar was hosted on June 26, 2025

• Price: Free for Members / $50 USD Non-Members

Presented by: Dr. Judita Kinkorova

Artificial intelligence (AI) is entering everyday life and transforming medical practice. Biobanking is the science where the current progress is fueled by AI driven processes. The great number of samples in biobanks and related data and information offer the optimal field for AI applications in the frame of personalized medicine, drug development, acceleration of basic scientific discoveries. The definition, brief history, and the readiness for AI in biobanking will be presented. The potential of AI in biobanking, education for new era of AI driven biobankers and future trends will be outlined.

2025 Biobanking 201 Workshop: Accreditation, Certification and Standardization: Demystifying the Black Box of Certification and Accreditation of Biobanks

The live webinar was hosted on February 25 & 26, 2025

• Price: $40 USD Members / $120 USD Non-Members

Part 1: ISBER Tool highlight: ISBER Mentorship Program (30 min). Presented by Judith Giri, PhD, Independent Consultant, USA; Marianne Henderson, MS, National Cancer Institute, USA; Shonali Paul, CloudLIMS.com, India

Part 2: Accreditation, Certification and Standardization: Demystifying the Black Box of Certification and Accreditation of Biobanks (3 hours). Presented by Shannon McCall, MD, Duke University, USA; Sheila O’Donoghue, RN, BPHE, MA, BC Cancer, Canada ; Nilsa Ramirez, MD, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, USA; Nicholas Slawson, MD, A2LA, USA; Charles Wang, MD, PhD, National Engineering Center, China

Initiating Biobank Operations: Best Practices and Innovations

Sponsored Webinar: January 22, 2025

• Free

This session will delve into critical considerations you’ll likely face when planning for your biobank. We’ll cover strategies for maximizing storage capacity, streamlining sample intake and handling, quality control, and preparing for potential challenges. Learn how to ensure equipment compatibility and workflow efficiency, adapt to diverse research needs, and troubleshoot processing challenges effectively. Whether you're looking to initiate biobank operations or planning for future growth, this webinar provides valuable insights and practical solutions to optimize the efficiency of your biobank.

2024 Biobanking 101 Workshop: INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN BIOBANKING: The Nuts and Bolts of Implementing the ISBER Best Practices, 5th Edition IM section

Live Webinar: Sept 11 & 12, 2024

• Price: $40 USD Members / $120 USD Non-Members

Part 1: ISBER Tool Spotlight – Gain valuable insights into the Essentials of Biobanking course (20 min). Presented by Jodi LeBlanc, BC Cancer, Canada & Kate Lawrence, BC Cancer, Canada

Part 2: Information Management in Biobanking – Delve into the practical aspects of implementing the ISBER Best Practices, 5th Edition, focusing on the Information Management section (2.5 hours). Presented by Gregory Grossman, CSO, Advancing Sight Network, USA; Chris Battison, REDCap Administrator / Research Data Analyst, Research Operations, The Center for Health Research Information Systems, Women’s College Hospital, Canada ; Marianne Henderson, Sr. Advisor for Division Resources and Biobanking, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA; and additional members of the IM section for the BP 5th edition

Quality Measures of Stored Breast Cancer TMAs

Live Webinar: August 7, 2024

• Free for ISBER Members

ISBER is pleased to feature the winner of the 2024 Best Paper Award in Biopreservation and Biobanking through this webinar.

Presenter: Stephen M. Hewitt, MD, PhD, National Cancer Institute

A Sneak Peek at the Unique Program of the ISBER 2024 Annual Meeting - Dreaming Beyond Barriers: The Future of Biobanking

Live Webinar: February 15, 2024

• Free for EVERYONE

Presented by: ISBER 2024 Program Co-Chairs, Gregory Grossman, Cassandra Griffin and Amanda Moors

What's in Sample Annotation?

Sponsored Webinar: Jan 31, 2024

• Free

In this webinar, our guests will talk about how the lack of a particular information can limit the understanding of important markers in the development and disease.

Sharing Experiences from Establishing a Biobank in Developing Countries

Live Webinar: December 14, 2023

• Free for ISBER Members

Part 1 Title: Biobank of the Institut Pasteur de Côte d'Ivoire

Presenter: Dr. Amboise Kouame Kintossou, Biobanking Process Manager, Institut Pasteur de Côte d’Ivoire

Part 2 Title: An Overview of the Malaysian Biobanking Scene

Presenter: Dr. Subasri Armon, Anatomic Pathologist with AOI in Molecular Pathology & Biobanking, Pathology Department, Hospital Kuala Lumpur

ISBER Townhall 2023

Live Webinar: November 21, 2023

• Free

The ISBER Board of Directors invites you to learn about the activity of the association at our upcoming virtual townhall sessions. We want the biobanking community to see the expertise and knowledge that our members are collectively working on. We will do a deep dive on the work of our groups by highlighting activity that is currently underway and give members the opportunity to share their thoughts and feedback. Members will also have the opportunity to ask questions. This second ISBER members townhall will focus on the work of the Education & Training Committee and Artificial Intelligence Special Interest Group

Take the Challenge! Strategies to Improve the Efficiency of Your Biobank

Sponsored Webinar: November 15, 2023

• Free

Join this trio of experts to understand how acting on energy efficiency best practices within cold storage and sample management can reduce operating costs for your facility and benefit long term sample integrity.

Reshaping the Future of Medical Care, Education and Research: The Pivotal Roles of Synthetic Data, Generative AI, and Auto-MLs

Live Webinar: September 15, 2023

• Free for ISBER Members

Presented by Dr. Hooman H. Rashidi, MD, MS, FCAP, Vice Chair of Diagnostics Institute & Director of PLMI’s Center for Artificial Intelligence & Data Science, Cleveland Clinic

Light-Assisted Drying: A New Processing Technique to Prepare Biologics for Anhydrous Storage at Ambient Temperatures

Live Webinar: August 30, 2023

• Free for ISBER Members

ISBER is pleased to feature the winner of the 2023 Best Paper Award in Biopreservation and Biobanking through this webinar.

Transplant and Post-Mortem Tissue Donation of the Eye and Brain

Live Webinar: August 24, 2023

• Free for ISBER Members

Part 1 Title: Research Tissue Donation and Allocation within a Transplantcentric Pathway

Presenter: Dr. Heather Machin, Opthalmic Nurse and Senior Project Manager, Centre for Eye Research Australia

Part 2 Title: The Future of Brain Banking: Challenges and Opportunities

Presenter: Dr. Greg Sutherland, Associate Professor, University of Sydney

Cold Storage and Sample Integrity

Sponsored Webinar: Jan 25, 2023

• Free

As a follow up to our 2022 workshop on the role of automation in maintaining sample integrity, Azenta Life Sciences now brings biobank and biorepository experts together to discuss the importance of storage temperature control in sample integrity.

Biobanking Modernization for Collaborative Research

Sponsored Webinar: Dec 7, 2022

• Free

Sample security and traceability are the two most important things to consider when storing, labeling and identifying samples in a biobank. This process can be difficult and time consuming when dealing with little to no cold-chain infrastructure or standard protocols. More and more research institutions are moving towards modernizing sample collection workflows and realizing that it is not only possible for labs of all sizes but also a crucial component to facilitate collaborative research. Losing samples or compromising a long-term research project due to damaged samples that were not organized and stored properly, prompts urgency for operational improvement which can be adopted at any scale. By utilizing barcoded vials, enhanced readers, efficient cold-storage and transport equipment, biobanks can continue maximizing their sample standardization to quickly access and share important biospecimens with collaborators across the globe.

ISBER Best Practices 4th Edition

Webinar Series: March - November 2021

• ISBER Member: $187 / Series
• Non-Member: $231 / Series
• Students/Technicians Member: $112 / Series
• Students/Technicians Non-Member: $138 / Series

Organization members may also purchase the webinar series for their staff using a bulk discount for registering more than two staff members. The discounted rate is $125 per staff registration.

ISBER BIOBANKING 101 WORKSHOPS

Webinar Series: March - November 2021

• ISBER Member: $36 / Workshop
• Non-Member: $45 / Workshop

These workshops focus on the assessment of your Biobank's quality, cost recovery, preservation, and management. Discover ways you can improve the effectiveness of your operations.

ISBER 2020 - ROADMAP TO SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY

Webinar Series: June - October 2020

• ISBER Member: $200 / Series
• Non-Member: $350 / Series
• Students/Technicians Member: $120 / Series
• Students/Technicians Non-Member: $210 / Series

Global leaders were set to converge in April, 2020 at the ISBER 2020 Annual Meeting & Exhibits in Anaheim to address the impact of biobanks on science and how the related discoveries are establishing a roadmap to extend our knowledge network. Given the meeting cancellation, a portion of our invited speakers and abstract presenters have agreed to give their presentations as live, interactive webinars. Register for the full series or individual sessions.

COVID-19

COVID-19 Resources and Information

• FREE

In response to the SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) pandemic, the ISBER leadership has developed a number of programs to support new users of ultra-low temperature freezers and our membership.

ISBER Veterinary Biobank

On-Demand Webinar Series

• ISBER Member: $25 / Series
• Non-Member: $75 / Series

As conservation and genomic research grows, it is becoming essential to manage research frozen collections (aka "biobanks") that store quality samples for future use.