The 2012 ISBER Annual Meeting & Exhibits.

Abstract

The International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) held its 2012 Annual Meeting & Exhibits on May 15–18, 2012 at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The theme of the meeting was Keeping Step in an Evolving Global Research Environment: Biobanking for Now and for the Future. ISBER is the leading international forum for addressing the technical, legal, ethical, and managerial issues relevant to repositories of biologic and environmental specimens. This year's exciting meeting featured multiple plenary symposia, educational workshops, corporate workshops, contributed papers, poster sessions, and working group discussions. With 528 participants registered for the meeting, attendance was among the Society's highest. Scientists and biorepository and biobanking personnel from around the world attended this premier event in the field of repository and specimen management. Vendor members demonstrated the latest products, services, and technology in the field of repository and specimen collection. The meeting was preceded by six optional workshops organized by ISBER members. Topics included: Designing and Maintaining a Tissue Repository; Evaluation and Design of Information Management Systems for Biorepositories; Applications of High-resolution Slide Scanning in Clinical and Research Settings; What's It Worth? Assessing the Contributions of Your Biorepository; A Series of Questions and Possibilities to Help Assess Whether or Not to Automate Workflow; Regulatory Considerations for Biorepositories: Navigating HHS, FDA, HIPAA and Informed Consent. These workshops were well attended, and several were sold out. The theme of Keeping Step was threaded through four plenary sessions. The primary symposium entitled “The Evolving Global Research Environment: New Partnerships and Collaborations” was opened with a keynote lecture by Dr. Bruce McManus of the University of British Columbia, James Hogg Research Centre. The lecture focus was the UBC PROOF Center of Excellence and its example of how the need for quality biospecimens and well-connected data systems is fulfilled through new approaches to partnerships and collaborations. The meeting continued on the second day with a symposium entitled “Keeping Step with New Technologies,” focusing upon new approaches and associated challenges in meeting the technical and analytical opportunities that will be instrumental in shaping future developments in biological and environmental repositories. On day three, the “Innovative Technologies” symposium focused on the science and validation behind new products and technologies that have the potential to impact biorepository operations and specimen management/workflow. Presentations in this session were selected from a special category of attendees' abstract submissions. For the first time at the ISBER Annual Meeting, a late breaking session was organized, focusing on international policy developments and the potential implication for biobanking and research. An overview of these developments was presented followed by a panel discussion which included biobankers and other global stakeholders. The very active panelist and audience discussion proved the validity of this new type of session. The symposium on “Keeping Step with the Evolving Ethical-Legal Environment” focused on the inclusion of stakeholder and benefactor community input, as well as new rules/regulations in the planning and management of biological and environmental repositories. Presentations in this session were followed by an interesting and lively panel discussion. The final symposium, on the fourth day of the meeting, “Ensuring Sustainability in the Face of Global Crises,” focused on the recent rise in number, diversity, and severity of natural and man-made disasters impacting biorepository operations and sustainability. Speakers from across the globe provided their perspectives regarding the crises, recovery, and lessons learned for future research and/or operations. The ISBER Education and Training Committee organized four workshops that were well-attended during the Annual Meeting. Topics spanned a variety of areas that are important to the membership including operations, ethical/legal issues, and collaborative networks. Workshop titles included: Informed Consent in Biobanking: A Practical Approach for Training and Delivery; Establishing a Biobank for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and their Primary Source Cells; Biobank Certification—The Canadian Tumor Repository Network (CTRNet) Model; Managing Commercial Outcomes from Biospecimen Use: Can We Achieve Ethical Benefit Sharing? In addition, ISBER Working Groups hosted lively face-to-face discussions and work sessions during the meeting to recap completed products and plan upcoming activities. Overall, attendees submitted 158 abstracts to be considered for oral or poster presentation during the ISBER 2012 Annual Meeting. Twenty-four abstracts were selected to be presented within four contributed paper sessions: ELSI in Biobanking: Striking the Right Balance; Biobanking Quality Assurance and Control: Quality In, Quality Out; Hot Topics in Biobanking; and Biobanking Informatics: Making the Right Connections. Two large poster sessions were held. The quality and quantity of presentations of the posters presented at the meeting was testimony to the growth and maturation of the biorepository and biospecimen science community that ISBER serves. Accepted abstracts for the meeting were published in the April 2012 issue of Biopreservation and Biobanking (BIO), the official journal of ISBER, along with the 3rd Edition of the ISBER Best Practices for Repositories: Collection, Storage, Retrieval, and Distribution of Biological Materials for Research. We have invited each of the speakers from the 2012 meeting plenaries and contributed papers sessions to consider submitting original articles based on their presentation topics. The ISBER Annual Business meeting was held on May 17. This featured an address by the outgoing ISBER President, Marianne K. Henderson, status reports from all active volunteer member-staffed Committees, and the presentation of our two most prestigious awards. The ISBER Award for Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking (sponsored by Taylor-Wharton) was presented to Robert Hewitt and the ISBER Distinguished Leadership & Service Award was presented to Marianna J. Bledsoe. These awards were featured in the February 2012 ISBER Corner article in BIO. The ISBER President also presented three well-deserved ISBER Special Service Awards to Cheryl Michels, Nicole Sieffert, and Andy Zaayenga. These awards are designed to recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions toward the goals of the Society through the performance of a special service or act on behalf of the organization. The Asterand-ISBER Biospecimen Science Poster Awards were presented to Ali Cole et al. for their poster titled, “Biospecimen Use and Emerging Techniques in Cancer Research” and to Steven Turner et al for their poster titled, “Epstein-Barr Virus Transformed Human Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines: The Effect of Donor Age and Gender on Transformation Efficiency.” Francesca Poloni et al. and Miral Patel et al. were recognized with the ISBER Biobanking Poster Awards for their posters titled “ISBER Proficiency Testing Program for Biorepositories” and “REMA Simplifies Operative Schedule Searchability for Prospective Tissue Procurement,” respectively. The recipients of the ISBER Biobanking Poster Awards donated their award stipend to the ISBER Global Expansion Fund. The culmination of the business meeting was the presentation of the Presidential gavel to the incoming 2012-2013 President, Katheryn Shea, and the introduction of the 2012–2013 Council, including the new President-Elect, Fay Betsou. As a fantastic and well-received addition to the Annual meeting, the ISBER Marketing Committee organized the first annual ISBER Run/Walk to benefit the ISBER Global Expansion Fund, which was held in the very early morning hours of May 17. It was an incredible success, raising more than $5,000. The Annual Meeting events were capped off by a relaxing cruise aboard the Magic Charm, a 110-foot yacht that took participants to see the wonderful views of the picturesque Vancouver skyline. The 2012 ISBER Annual Meeting & Exhibits was a fantastic opportunity to network with colleagues, learn about new and ongoing biobanking initiatives from other members, and participate in lively discussions focused on all aspects of repositories of biologic and environmental specimens.