BIOTROP launches a Lusophone Network of Biobanks. On April 19, the GHTM IHMT-NOVA biobank (Biotropical Resources, BIOTROP) organized at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT NOVA), as a pre-congress activity of the 6th National Congress of Tropical Medicine (20 and 21 April 2023), a meeting under the theme “Biobanks in Lusophony”, aiming at launching a Lusophone Network of Biobanks.
The meeting, in a hybrid format, was attended by approximately 50 representatives from institutions in Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Portugal. According to the Biobank Technical Coordinator, Ana Tavares, the launch of the Lusophone Network of Biobanks represented “an important milestone in the establishment of solid and lasting partnerships between Biobanks and Biological Resource Centres (biobanks sensu latu) of Portuguese-speaking countries”. Advantages and challenges associated with the formation of this network (Rede Lusófona de Biobancos) were discussed; ethical issues were also addressed, and experiences shared on the characteristics and stages of development of the various collections and infrastructures.
“This BIOTROP’s initiative represents an important step towards strengthening collaboration between Portuguese-speaking countries in the biobanking area and biomedical research”, said Ana Paula Arez, BIOTROP Coordinator and VBD-GHTM Group Leader. As mentioned, “the creation of the Lusophone Network of Biobanks will allow the exchange of good practices, boosting the advancement, maturation and visibility of the different collections and contributing to Global, Sustainable and Equitable Health”.
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