Session Descriptions
The Programme Committee presents the tracks and topics for EBW26.
Track one: Biobanking without borders: Connecting biodiversity, medicine, and innovation
3A: Preserving biodiversity: Challenges and opportunities in non-human biobanking
Non-human biobanks – encompassing amongst others animal, plant and microbial specimens – are essential for life science research and biodiversity conservation. They face challenges like ethical dilemmas, data standardisation and resource limitations not unlike human biobanks. Yet, they offer opportunities for basic research, ecological restoration, agricultural resilience and scientific innovation through advanced preservation, genomics and global collaboration. This session highlights their unique role in advancing integrated health for humans, animals and ecosystems.
5A: Returning biobank data to participants: Closing the loop
This session jointly organised with EP PerMed aims at being a moment of discussion between stakeholders in the process of returning to people data coming from genetic/genomic studies. Some examples of successful strategies to address this topic are already in place in countries all over the world, even though alignment and exchange of experiences is lacking and very much needed to address the ethical, legal, societal and infrastructural aspects underlying it. Return of data to patients and citizens can become a good practice of research and a powerful tool for people engagement, increasing genetic literacy, willingness to share health data and public trust in science and healthcare systems.
6A: Biobanks as local hubs: Interfaces and facilitators
This session explores the evolving role of biobanks as dynamic local hubs in biomedical research. Learn how biobanks serve as interfaces between researchers, healthcare providers and communities, facilitating data sharing, sample access and collaboration. Discover strategies to enhance their impact on translational research and innovation ecosystems.
8A: Unlocking health insights from donated human tissues
This session examines the ethical, technical and logistical challenges of collecting and managing human tissue donations, both post-mortem and from living donors. Experts will discuss consent, data integration and governance frameworks ensuring responsible use, sharing methodologies and case studies that demonstrate how tissue biobanks advance research and deepen understanding of health and disease.
11A: Inside the biobank: Organisational structures, strategies and success stories
Dive into the inner workings of biobanks and discover how organisational models and strategic planning shape their success. This session showcases diverse approaches to governance, sustainability and stakeholder engagement, illustrated through real-world examples that highlight innovation, resilience and impact in biomedical research and healthcare innovation.
Track two: Ethics, regulation and digital innovation: Navigating the future of biobanking
3B: The EHDS unveiled: Latest developments and national perspectives
This session explores the evolving landscape of EU regulations shaping the future of biobanking, focusing on their ethical, legal and societal implications. Participants will examine the latest developments toward a European Health Data Space (EHDS) and gain comparative insights into how member states interpret and implement these emerging frameworks.
5B: AI-enhanced biobank research: Integrating, analysing and advancing biomedical discovery
This session focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for integrating and analysing complex datasets. Experts will discuss challenges such as managing diverse data sources and optimising machine learning algorithms for biobank data integration and large-scale analysis. The session will highlight barriers, pioneering approaches and real-world applications showcasing AI’s transformative impact on biomedical research and patient care.
6B: Secure, fair and smart: Best practices for biobank data integration
This session explores strategies to protect donor privacy while enabling cross-border data exchange through robust governance, clear agreements and legal compliance. Experts will address GDPR, data residency and practical models for Data Transfer and Processing Agreements, highlighting how federated biobanking networks connect with healthcare data ecosystems to accelerate discovery and innovation.
8B: Balancing ethics and innovation: ELSI in biobanking
This session will bring 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.
11B: Paediatric biobanking
This session explores the unique challenges of paediatric biobanking, including ethical considerations, consent complexities, and age-specific biological factors. Experts will share best practices for safeguarding young donors while ensuring sample quality. Attendees will learn how paediatric biobanks drive research in childhood diseases, developmental biology and personalised medicine to improve future health outcomes.
Track three: Fit-for-purpose biobanking: Enhancing sample quality from collection to analysis
3C: Biobank advanced technologies: Challenges, opportunities and solutions
This session will present the next generation of biobanking technologies, from automation and digital tracking to integrated data systems and innovative technologies, along with the complex realities of implementing them. Through expert insights and practical case studies, it will show how biobanks are navigating technical obstacles, regulatory demands, and evolving standards, while unlocking new opportunities to enhance sample quality, accessibility and long-term value.
5C: Tools and processes for quality implementation and use cases
This session focuses on practical tools, methodologies and processes that strengthen quality management systems aligned with international standards such as ISO 20387. Experts will demonstrate how interlaboratory comparisons, proficiency testing and validation strategies strengthen reproducibility and data confidence. Attendees will gain hands-on insights into overcoming pitfalls, implementing quality controls and ensuring sample and data integrity across the biobanking lifecycle.
6C: Ensuring excellence: Elevating data quality in biobanking
This session explores advanced methods for assessing and improving the quality of biobank data. Participants will learn about frameworks for data capture, quality metrics and metadata that ensure scientific reliability. Through examples and new tools, attendees will gain practical insights to prevent errors, enhance reproducibility and drive impactful data-driven medical research.
8C: Mastering pre-analytics: Key to reliable biobanking and biomedical research
This session highlights the pre-analytical phase of biobanking, where collection, handling and storage determine downstream success. Experts will discuss common challenges and show how precise control enhances the value of biospecimens and cellular models. Attendees will learn how optimising pre-analytics improves test performance, reproducibility and the integrity of biological data.
11C: Samples ready for multi-omics research
This session explores how biobanks are adapting collection, processing and storage protocols to meet the demands of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics research. Experts will address operational challenges in integrating multi-omics workflows while ensuring IVDR compliance, offering practical insights into preparing high-quality biospecimens for comprehensive, reproducible multi-omics analyses.
Track four: Advancing biobanking: Skills, partnerships and sustainable solutions for the future
3D: Building excellence: Developing skills for future biobanking
Ensuring high-quality biobanks demands expertly trained personnel. This session highlights tailored education and training opportunities for the biobank community, covering all roles – from project managers to technical staff handling samples and data. Gain insights into upskilling pathways that enhance competence and drive excellence across biobank operations.
5D: From biobanks to precision medicine: Mechanistic disease modules, AI and ethics by design
The session will highlight how biobank data are driving the shift from symptom-based to mechanism-based disease understanding, paving the way for precision diagnostics, repurposed therapies and disease prevention. Tentative contributions include an open-access bioinformatics platform for disease module discovery, the REPO4EU workspace enabling systems and network medicine, (pre)clinical validation, IP and business development for patient impact and ethical frameworks for data use.
6D: Patient-centric biobanking: Strategies for engagement and participation
This session spotlights patients as experts-by-experience driving innovative research and establishing biobanks that address emerging health needs. It explores best practices for making biobank-based research accessible and impactful, empowering diverse communities and fostering meaningful, sustained citizen engagement to advance inclusive and patient-centered health innovation.
8D: Synergising resources: Public–private collaboration in biobanking infrastructure and research
This session highlights how public–private collaborations in biobanking drive innovation by combining strategic vision with practical implementation. Participants will explore how shared resources, expertise and technology – together with effective contracting models, fair valuation and compliance-by-design – can build sustainable research platforms and create lasting value for health research across Europe.
11D: Eco-friendly green biobanking: Innovations and solutions
This session explores eco-friendly biobanking innovations and circular economy approaches addressing sustainability beyond financial viability. Amid rising energy costs and the climate crisis, we’ll showcase impact assessments and solutions that reduce environmental footprints, promoting greener, more resilient biobanks for the future of research and public health.
Special sessions
4: Pitch your innovative idea
Pitch your innovative idea in three minutes. This opportunity is open to all stakeholders: biobankers, vendors, researchers, patients and beyond. Whether it’s an innovative product, a novel solution, or a fresh concept, this is your chance to showcase ideas that can transform sample management, empower biobankers and researchers and improve patient outcomes for a healthier future. Step up and make your vision heard!
9: Disease domain-specific biobanks
9A: Disease domain-specific biobanks – Rare disease insights
This session explores domain-specific biobanks for rare diseases, emphasising the importance of cross-border collaboration and networks like the EuroBioBank (EBB). Discover innovative strategies for extensive sample collection, data integration and (inter)national partnerships that drive research breakthroughs, improve diagnostics and accelerate targeted therapy development for patients with rare conditions.
9B: Disease domain-specific biobanks – Oncology insights
This session, organised with the International Society of Oncology and Biomarkers (ISOBM), highlights oncology biobanks and cross-disciplinary collaboration across oncology, pathology, radiology and molecular medicine. It showcases innovative approaches to biobank management and biomarker discovery that advance precision medicine, accelerate cancer research and drive breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment and personalised therapies.
9C: Disease domain-specific biobanks – Neuroscience insights
This session highlights biobanks advancing research on neurological and psychiatric disorders. Explore innovative methods for collecting, managing and sharing samples and data across diagnostics and research. Learn how these biobanks drive molecular insights into diseases with often unclear underpinnings and limited diagnostic markers.
9D: Disease domain-specific biobanks – Infectious disease insights
This session explores infectious disease biobanks’ critical role in pandemic preparedness and response amid globalisation. Discover strategies for collecting, managing and sharing biological samples and data to track emerging pathogens, support vaccine development and strengthen global collaboration – advancing research and public health in an interconnected world.