Background

In recent years, the rapid development of high-throughput biotechnology, various kinds of genomics and bioinformatics have promoted the studies on Personalized Medicine and Translational Medicine. Through the studies on translational medicine, a bridge can be built between basic medicine and clinical research so that the laboratory research findings can be rapidly translated from bench to bedside, and thus benefiting the patients.

As precious resource for both basic and clinical research, biobanks are the basis of studies on translational medicine. The rapid development of translational medicine has intensified the need for high-quality biospecimens. In 2009, American National Cancer Institute (NCI) set up the first national human biobank for researching new treatments of various illnesses, the project of which was awarded by TIMES one of the “2009 Top Ten Changing-the-World Conceptions”. BioBanking and Molecular Research Infrastructure (BBMRI) is a pan-European infrastructure established in 2009 to bring cohesion to the European biobanking community and to make the existing and new high quality biological resources available for health research in Europe. It has a 53-member consortium with over 280 associated organisations (largely biobanks) from over 30 countries, with total biospecimens reaching 10,000,000. China has a large number of patients and also has the ability to protect and make effective use of biological resources. In the next 10 years or more, biobank will be the strategic resources in the competition between bio-technology and pharmaceutical enterprises, and among the key determinants of development capacity of biomedical industry.

China has a broad spectrum of biobanks, however, the diversity, lack of standardisation, different rules of access of these biobanks and the different ethical and legal landscape across China has prevented their effective use. In order to establish a biobank adapted to the development of translational medicine and in conformity to our national economic development, from 2008 onwards, Shanghai Municipal established Shanghai Biobank Network (SBN) under the strong support of Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai, Development and Reform Commission of Shanghai and Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau. SBN takes Shanghai Clinical Research Center (SCRC) as the third party coordination center, and consists of Fudan University, Medical College at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) and 15 third-class hospitals, in cooperation with many other organizations. To promote the biobank development in the past three years, SCRC successfully organized a series of specific symposiums and seminars, inviting international and domestic experts to share their experiences in developing and managing high-level biobanks.

Key Secessions and Topics

The Conference will bring together the experts from BBMRI, INSERM, QIAGEN and officials from Shanghai Municipal Government, academic institutions, universities, hospitals etc. to discuss the topics relevant to Biobank development:
1. The Development and Management of Biobank
2. Standardization and Quality Management System of Biobank
3. Quality Control of Biobank

Highlights of This Conference

• Learn best practice and international standards: This is the first time that China cooperates with BBMRI, INSERM and UK Biobank, and introduces management standards and quality control system that conform to the international norms.

• Hear the latest in biobank development: This conference invites first-tier experts to give reports, such as Kurt Zatloukal, Georges Dagher, Paul Downey, Du Xiang, Zhang Yong, etc., all engaged in biobank management and quality control. It integrates the latest biobank management conception, quality control and technical methods, and combines the cases of building various kinds of biobank, and helps the participants acquire in a short period the norms and knowledge of and experience in building advanced biobank.

• Benefit from first-hand experience and case studies: More than 20 speakers from Europe, Asia Pacific and China will be sharing their expert opinions and experiences on the organizing and construction of well-known biobank in Europe, the interpretation of the best practice for OECD biobank, collection and preservation of the standardization of oncology samples, ISO standard in biobank quality management system, and so on.

• Dialogue with leadership and experts: The conference will invite decision makers, executives and experts from well-known universities, institutes, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. The conference will provide the participants a high-end platform for communications and exchanges. Moreover, the conference will cooperate with many authoritative media to improve its intensive influence.