Elena Bravo
Istituto Superiore di Sanità , Italy
Title: International Standardisation and implementation of CoBRA guideline: contribution to the future use of samples
Biography
Biography: Elena Bravo
Abstract
In the last decade intensive work and initiatives in biobanking produced great success in the awareness of the importance of sharing bioresources. However, a global recognised standard to compare biospecimens quality and appropriate knowledge on available resources are still missing. Consequently, access to the samples for research and for development of biotechnological applications is still unsatisfactory. The work carried on by the Technical Committee (TC) 276 of Organization for Standardization (ISO) responsible for development and adoption of international standardization for Biotechnology is a further step to facilitate the exchange of goods and services through the elimination of technical barriers to trade. It is expected that TC276’ outcomes in the field of “Biobanking and Bioresources” will give a major impulse to global use of samples and data. The value of sharing bioresources is scarcely recognised and their use is hardly reconducted to the efforts for establishing and maintaining a biobank. Moreover, simple tools to identify the use of biospecimens and data are still lacking. A key element for assessing the use and the research impact of bioresources is their systematic citation in journal articles. In between BRIF (BioResource Impact Factor) initiatives, the journal editors’ subgroup addressed this point and recently published CoBRA (Citation Of BioResources in journal Articles) guideline. The implementation of ISO standards and CoBRA guideline will impact on the future use of resources, improving comparability, rewording biobanking infrastructure organization and favoring the access to the appropriate knowledge of samples, with a marked effect on science reproducibility and scientific reporting.