International Collaborative Biobanking: Shaping the future together

83 Discussion and conclusion The catalogue addresses the implementation of Open Science while increase the visibility of the service ecosystem of BBMRI-it. It will contribute to the sustainability of all biobanks. This activity has been supported by the funding of the European Union (NextGenerationEU), Italian NRRP project code IR0000031 - Strengthening BBMRI.it - CUP B53C22001820006. Keywords On-demand services, federated catalogue of services P112: International Collaborative Biobanking: Shaping the Future Together Botta-Orfila, Teresa (1); Bjelogrlic, Snezana (2); Tanic, Miljana (2); Krivokuca, Ana (2); SolerVentura, Ada (1); González-Abuin, Noemi (1); Aragonès, Gemma (1); Djuric, Ana (2); Rodríguez-Vilarrupla, Aina (1); HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank group (1); Zoidakis, Jerome (3,4); Fijneman, Remond (5); Castellví-Bel, Sergi (6); Cavic, Milena (2) (1) Biobank from Hospital Clínic Barcelona (HCB) - Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) (HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank), Fundació Recerca Clínic BarcelonaInstitut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain, (2) Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia, (3) Department of Biotechnology, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece, (4) Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece, (5) Department of Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands, (6) Gastroenterology Department, Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCBIDIBAPS), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Introduction Recognizing the role of cross-country collaboration in biobanking, STEPUPIORS project (101079217) has driven biobanking initiatives through strategic partnerships, culminating in the establishment of Serbia's rectal cancer biobank at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia (IORS). This pioneering eort highlights the importance of international collaboration in biobanking innovation, with eorts extending to valuable trainings enriching the global biobanking community's knowledge base. Material and methods In the realm of biobanking, we established a procedural framework aligned with international guidelines and regulations, comparing Spanish and Serbian contexts and prioritizing ethicallegal compliance, while enhancing human capacities at IORS through an educational program designed ad-hoc at IDIBAPS. Results Since 2012, the HCB-IDIBAPS biobank includes rectal cancer samples within its cohorts, through collaborations with clinical groups. With extensive experience in processing and procuring such samples to research projects, it facilitated the establishment of a Serbian rectal cancer biobank at IORS in 2023. Following rigorous one-year training, fourteen IORS researchers assumed management roles, contributing to the advancement of rectal cancer research through standardized procedures and collaborative eorts. Conclusions This initiative demonstrates the significant influence of the HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank in designing and implementing biobanks at partner institutions. It fosters collaboration among international centers and underscores Biobanks' pivotal role in specialized project workflows. Through meticulous collaboration, addressing scientific, legal-ethical, procedural, and human resource challenges with expert guidance from seasoned partner institutions, the first IORS cancer biobank was successfully established. This ensures optimal resources sharing and utilization for impactful research outcomes. Keywords cross-country collaboration; partnership; educational program International Collaborative Biobanking: Shaping the future together Teresa Botta-Orfila1, Snezana Bjelogrlic2, Miljana Tanic2, Ana Krivokuca2, Ada Soler-Ventura1, Noemi González-Abuin1, Gemma Aragonès1, Ana Djuric2, Aina Rodríguez-Vilarrupla1, HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank group1, Jerome Zoidakis3,4, Remond Fijneman5, Sergi Castellví-Bel6, Milena Cavic2 1Biobank from Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (HCB) - Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) (HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank), Fundació Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain. 2Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. 3Department of Biotechnology, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece. 4Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece. 5Department of Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 6Gastroenterology Department, Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank. 149-153 Rosselló street, Floor -1, 08036 Barcelona +34 932275400 ext. 4516 bio[email protected]ic.cat CONTACT We are indebted to the patients for their generous sample donation and the nursing and clinical staff at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona for their collaboration. This study was supported by the Horizon Europe Twinning Project STEPUPIORS –101079217 (www.stepupiors.eu). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Recognizing the role of cross-country collaboration in biobanking, STEPUPIORS project (101079217) has driven biobanking initiatives through strategic partnerships, culminating in the establishment of Serbia's rectal cancer biobank at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia (IORS). This pioneering effort highlights the importance of international collaboration in biobanking innovation, with efforts extending to valuable trainings enriching the global biobanking community's knowledge base and their stakeholders (Figure 1). STEPUPIORS project has involved two biobanks: the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) Biobank and the HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank in Barcelona, Spain (Figure 1). Here we present the results at HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank. INTRODUCTION Figure 1. Stakeholders from the STEPUPIORS project, Twinning for a European Consortium of Rectal Cancer Research Institutions Through Stepping Up Scientific, Technological and Innovation Excellence of IORS. We established a procedural framework aligned with international guidelines and regulations, comparing Spanish and Serbian contexts and prioritizing ethical-legal compliance. A complete educational program was designed ad-hoc at IDIBAPS to train in biobanking skills IORS’ staff. Figure 2 shows the timeline performed for the collaboration. MATERIAL AND METHODS Figure 2. Timeline of the collaboration. Figure 3. (A) Objective 2 planification in the context of STEPUPIORS project (https://www.stepupiors.eu/objectives/). (B) Graphical representation of the 8 packages designed by HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank for the STEPUPIORS training in biobanking at FRCBIDIBAPS in the collaboration with IORS. (C) Pictures from the training: Collaborative exchange session (left), HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank team members who participated in the training with STEPUPIORS members (middle), and all the HCBIDIBAPS Biobank members with STEPUPIORS members (right). RESULTS Training packages Dissemination and outreach activities Sustainability in biobanking Data management Sample management Biobank organization and infrastructure Ethics and law in biobanking Quality management Administrative tasks in biobanking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (B) (C) biobank at IORS in 2023. Following rigorous one-year training, fourteen IORS researchers assumed management roles, contributing to the advancement of rectal cancer research through standardized procedures and collaborative efforts. One of the main objectives of the STEPUPIORS project was to establish the first Serbian biobank (Figure 3A). For this purpose, several members of the IORS team went to the HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank to receive on-site training, which was structured into eight different packages (Figure 3B) and involved several members of both teams (Figure 3C). (A) Since 2012, the HCB-IDIBAPS biobank has been including rectal cancer samples within its cohorts, through collaborations with clinical groups. This extensive experience in processing and procuring such sample types to research projects has facilitated the guidance for the establishment of a Serbian rectal cancer biobank 1. This initiative demonstrates the significant influence of the HCB-IDIBAPS Biobank in designing and implementing biobanks at partner institutions. 2. It fosters collaboration among international centers and underscores Biobanks' pivotal role in specialized project workflows. CONCLUSIONS 3. The first IORS cancer biobank was successfully established through meticulous collaboration, addressing scientific, legal-ethical, procedural, and human resources challenges with expert guidance from experienced partner institutions. 4. STEPUPIORS multidisciplinary project ensures optimal resource and knowledge sharing for impactful research outcomes.