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About GBN

Who we are

The German Biobank Node serves as a central cooperation platform for the German biobank community, representing their interests in the European biobank network BBMRI-ERIC. GBN's commitment to biobanking fosters scientific progress on the path to precision medicine.

 

Under the leadership of the German Biobank Node (GBN), biobanks from eleven German university hospitals and two IT development centres have joined together to form the German Biobank Alliance (GBA) in 2017, more biobank sites followed from 2019 to 2021. Since 2022, biobanks at 36 locations and one IT development centre have been working together within the GBA.

The GBA biobanks are harmonising their quality management and establishing a networked IT structure in order to make their human biosamples and the associated data available for biomedical research throughout Europe. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) provides funding for the work of GBN, which is supported by the German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg (DKFZ) for IT as well as by the BioMaterialBank Heidelberg (BMBH) and the Integrated Biobank Jena (IBBJ) for quality management.

Taking into account the interests of all stakeholders involved, GBN also advocates the concerns of biobanks beyond the biobanking scene. Moreover, GBN lobbies for biobanking on the European level by representing German interests in the biobank network BBMRI-ERIC. Thus, GBN creates standards for the further development and quality assurance of biobanking in Germany and Europe.

“GBN pursues the mission of networking biobanks in Germany so that biobank collectives can contribute to biomedical research. This will considerably accelerate the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics.”

Prof. Dr. Michael Hummel

National Node Director (2014-24)

Our mission statement

  • The German Biobank Node (GBN) is the umbrella organisation for biobanking in Germany.
  • We bring German biobanks together and represent their interests within the European research infrastructure for biobanking, BBMRI-ERIC. Public funding enables us to operate independently of economic interests.
  • We strive to advance biomedical research with sustainable “next-generation biobanking”. Our members make quality-assured human samples and data available to the network for this purpose.
  • We work closely with our members to harmonise quality standards, establish a networked IT structure, and develop training for biobank staff.
  • We exchange information with different biobanking stakeholders – from researchers to patients – on an interdisciplinary basis and communicate our findings transparently.
  • Cooperation within our network is characterised by teamwork, mutual trust and collegial support.
  • With our commitment to biobanking, we foster scientific progress on the path to precision medicine.

Nordic Conference on Future Health

Nordic Conference on Future Health
10.- 12. September 2024
Trondheim, Norway

In 2024, the biobank and research communities will join forces for a special Nordic-wide community gathering to explore the present and future of precision health. 

Topics:

  • Overviews of precision prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in the Nordics
  • Research symposia covering the breadth of cutting-edge research
  • Critical discussion of the issues important to Nordic biobanks
  • Funding priorities
  • Legal and ethical consideration
  • Citizen involvement
  • Policy discussions about the best way forward

Call for abstracts

The call for abstracts has now opened and the submission deadline for those wanting to be eligible for a travel fellowship and/or if you would like to submit an oral presentation is Wednesday, April 22, 2024. More information can be found here. 

Website Nordic Conference on Future Health

Nordic Conference on Future Health

Nordic Conference on Future Health
10.- 12. September 2024
Trondheim, Norway

In 2024, the biobank and research communities will join forces for a special Nordic-wide community gathering to explore the present and future of precision health. 

Topics:

  • Overviews of precision prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in the Nordics
  • Research symposia covering the breadth of cutting-edge research
  • Critical discussion of the issues important to Nordic biobanks
  • Funding priorities
  • Legal and ethical consideration
  • Citizen involvement
  • Policy discussions about the best way forward

Call for abstracts

The call for abstracts has now opened and the submission deadline for those wanting to be eligible for a travel fellowship and/or if you would like to submit an oral presentation is Wednesday, April 22, 2024. More information can be found here. 

Website Nordic Conference on Future Health

Questions?

germanbiobanknode@charite.de

Tel. +49. 30. 450 536 347


Fax +49. 30. 450 753 69 38

© 2024 All rights reserved.

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