The BBMRI.QM Newsroom – stay up to date with live sessions and recordings

This article is 486 words and an approximate 2-minute read.

Utilising the valuable resources that we have in biobanks strongly relies on the quality of the available samples and data. Since 2021, the BBMRI-ERIC Quality Management (BBMRI.QM) Newsroom keeps you up to date with the latest news and developments. In interactive online sessions, the BBMRI-ERIC QM department highlights current topics in quality management that are discussed in the community. On each event, one selected topic is explored with distinguished guest speakers and interactive Q&A sessions. These live events provide valuable opportunities for in-depth learning and complement the training programmes that are provided by BBMRI.QM.

A broad range of topics on the multidisciplinary nature of biobanking

The Newsroom sessions aim to explore the multidisciplinary nature of biobanking including quality practices (e.g., MIABIS and ISO standards), sample and data integrity, the impact of AI on research, refinement of data analysis, or sample management for accelerated advances. Insights and current developments are presented by BBMRI internal as well as external experts, particularly quality managers. The motto of one of last year’s sessions, summarises it nicely:

“Looking at quality from many angles.”

In the first half of the year, the newsroom sessions engaged a wide audience with presentations and discussions on biobank-specific terminology and the open community data standard, benefiting both our QM and IT communities. To reach an even larger audience, recordings of previous sessions can now be re-watched here.

In the first 2024 Newsroom session on March 19^th, the community learned how “MIABIS terminology supports interoperability in biobank data sharing activities”. The newsroom audience welcomed Niina Eklund (BBMRI.QM) as an internal speaker as well as Cäcilia Engels (German Biobank Node – GBN) and Apostolos Malatras (Biobank.cy CoE) as external experts. On May 28^th, in the second newsroom session of this year, Petr Holub (CIO, BBMRI-ERIC) and Esmund Urwin (University of Nottingham) addressed the “Interoperability in biobanking: OMOP for standardising medical outcome data”.

An interactive stage for future-oriented biobanking quality management

The QM newsroom highlights BBMRI’s efforts to foster interaction and exchange among the communities. The high level of participation, with an average of 100 attendees per session, reflects a strong interest in high-quality practises. Defining and implementing sustainable quality standards is an open and ongoing process that involves future-oriented thinking and agile responses to new developments and challenges. The newsroom provides an interactive stage where the community gets deep insights from leading experts from different areas to reflect ideas and further evolve existing quality standards. The next QM newsroom is already planned for October 15^th this year and will address a scenario that every biobanker should be prepared for: Together with Petra Tauscher (Biobank Graz) as invited expert, the QM community will discuss what is needed to get a Biobank „Fit for Blackout”. Register here for this upcoming live session and watch out for the #BBMRI_QM tag on our socials on Linkedin and Twitter/X to not miss any of our future events and more updates on biobanking quality management.