#EBW26 Previews: 8B: Balancing ethics and innovation: ELSI in biobanking
This session will cover complex ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) that shape biobanking practices and influence public trust. It will show how integrating ethics directly into biobanking processes as a core component can drive responsible innovation. Participants will gain insight into strategies for navigating regulatory landscapes, addressing social concerns and fostering collaborative environments that enhance both scientific discovery and ethical integrity.
Speakers included in this session:
- Mark Barnes – The Seattle Principles: Promoting a harmonized ethical framework for banking and secondary research use of human biospecimens and associated data
- Nida Jawaid – An ethical engagement model for biobanking in low-resource, culturally diverse settings: Lessons from Pakistan
- Sara Casati & Francesca Frexia – BBMRI consent to biobanking governance over time and in the real world through a standard-based digital approach
- Claire Lewis – Beyond the algorithm: Trustworthy AI and the role of biobanking infrastructures in pathology and imaging
- Dorota Krekora-Zając – Limits of commercialisation in biobanking and the European Health Data Space: Towards harmonised participant protection
This session will be chaired by:
Dr. Ronny Baber
Dr. Ronny Baber is head of the Leipzig Medical Biobank at the Medical Faculty of Leipzig University and the preanalytical laboratory at the Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases (LIFE).
After studying biochemistry and obtaining his PhD at the University of Leipzig, Dr. Baber completed an MSc in Clinical Research and Translational Medicine. His scientific focus is on stakeholder management and outreach, preanalytics and quality and process management.
In addition, he is involved in national and international expert committees, including the German Biobank Network, the ESBB and standardization committees for ISO 20387 and is a member of the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the University of Leipzig. He is also a member of the editorial board of the journal Biopreservation and Biobanking.
Tom Southerington
Tom Southerington is the chief legal officer for the Finnish Biobank Cooperative – FINBB. He is also active in various expert forums for research-related legal and ethical issues. Tom is a bench-trained lawyer and holds an MSc in industrial engineering and management.
Session details
- Date: Thursday 21 May
- Time: 13:45 – 15:15