#EBW24 previews: State-of-the-art speakers for ‘Tools to achieve quality – (new) standards for biobanks’
We are delighted to confirm the State-of-the-art speakers for the panel session: ‘Tools to achieve quality – (new) standards for biobanks’. Dr. Khalil Roy from Swiss Biobanking Platform, Marc Vandelaer from Trustful Consulting and Clare Allocca from NIST will be leading this session and we profile their biographies here. The session takes place on Friday 17 May 2024 as part of the EBW24 programme.
Dr. Khalil Roy
Khalil Roy is a designer and researcher from Lausanne, Switzerland. After getting his Master of Arts degree in interaction design in Geneva in 2013, he worked as a researcher in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at the university of Helsinki for six years. His research focused on the design, prototyping and evaluation of digital tools in support of information exploration. His work led to several peer-reviewed papers published in major HCI venues, which constituted the foundation of his doctoral thesis: “Explorable Information Spaces”, presented in 2019 at the media department of the Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, where he graduated with distinction, and received that year’s Dissertation Award.
Today, Khalil is applying the visualisation and interaction techniques he developed in his research to improve biobanking practices, through his involvement within Swiss Biobanking Platform (SBP).
Marc Vandelaer
Marc Vandelaer has a combined experience of 25+ years at the intersection of life science and IT up to c-level executive roles. Since 2018, he provides, mainly in collaboration with Wega Informatik, consultancy and advisory services related to project and executive interim management in healthcare and life science sectors especially, but not exclusively, in biobanking nationwide initiatives in Luxembourg and Switzerland.
He holds a M.Sc. in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Liège in Belgium where he began his career as a research scientist and a Scientific Coordinator. He joined Siemens Belgium, in 2004, to supervise projects in multinational companies. In 2008, he transitioned to the role of IT Program Director in Pharma and AgroSciences study management at Eurofins Scientific Group. Between 2014 and 2018, he was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg (IBBL) and his CEO ad interim during nearly two years.
Abstract: Towards Biobank Excellence – A Swiss Biobank Information Management System Relying on Standardized Dataset and Workflow Management
Biobanks are cornerstones of medical research, with their success hinging on efficient sample processing and high-quality data collection. This presentation explores an innovative Biobank Information Management System (BIMS) specifically designed to address those objectives.
It delves into core functionalities of this BIMS. One key aspect being its ability to enforce standardised sample documentation based on predefined datasets. It ensures consistency and ability to sharing sample and data across biobanks. Furthermore, this BIMS offers configurable data collection, allowing to capture both mandatory and optional annotations. This flexibility guarantees comprehensive data collection while accommodating specificities of each biobank. Finally, the presentation explores how this system optimises biobanking workflows by empowering biobanks to achieve operational excellence through streamlined process workflows while minimising errors and maximising efficiency.
Leveraging these functionalities allows Swiss biobanks to progress towards biobank excellence. This paves the way for further sample and data sharing through enhanced interoperability, fostering collaboration.
Clare M. Allocca
Clare Allocca is Physical Scientist and Senior Advisor for Standardisation in the Standards Coordination Office at NIST. She is also Past-President-of-the-Board for the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER). Clare leads extensive standards and conformity assessment development activities.
Clare is an officer of ISO/TC276 Biotechnology and committee manager of ISO/TC276/SC1 Analytical methods and ISO/TC212-TC276/JWG6 Quality Practice for detection of SARS CoV-2. As an expert of ISO/TC276/WG2 Biobanking & bioresources, she co-authored ISO 20387:2018 Biotechnology – Biobanking – General requirements for biobanking and ISO/TR 22758:2020 Biotechnology – Biobanking – Implementation guide for ISO 20387, and contributed to multiple other deliverables.
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 from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering / Wharton Business School.
Abstract: The Woven Web of ISO 20387, ISBER Best Practices, and Interrelated Tools
The international standard ISO 20387 provides general requirements to ensure biobanking processes, products and services are fit for an intended purpose. A set of interrelated tools can help biobanks to implement this standard.
The ISBER Best Practices 5th Edition is a set of guidelines describing consensus and evidence-based recommendations for management of biological and environmental repositories. The document harvests the collective experience of ISBER and the global biobanking community to provide comprehensive guidance for biorepository professionals, and was used as an input in the development of norms such as ISO 20387. Other tools can help guide the journey towards the Best Practices or a standard, including the Standard PReanalytical Code (SPREC); the ISBER-endorsed IBBL Proficiency Testing program; the Biobank Assessment Tool (BAT), and the ISBER/ASCP-BOC Qualification in BioRepository Science (QBRS) exam.
The role of these tools in guiding biobanks towards quality goals such as ISO 20387 compliance will be discussed.