Abstract
I
First, we are honored that Dr. John G. Baust, Editor-in-Chief of Cell Preservation Technology (CPT) and our Founding Editor, has provided an excellent historical perspective of the origin and development of CPT and BIO. We are also fortunate that members of the H3Africa project submitted six articles on a range of topics that resulted in a special section in this issue. The H3Africa project has encountered a number of challenges as well as opportunities, while creating a very productive biobanking network infrastructure for studies of “human health and heredity” in Africa. The scope of these articles is indicative of the issues faced by all new biobank networks, including information technology design, business planning, and access policy development.
The remainder of this issue features original research articles, reviews, and a special Experts Speak that cover topics that are among the most important of the technical and regulatory aspects of biobanking and biopreservation. The Experts Speak involves experts discussing biobanking economics and sustainability. Several research articles address business planning, terminology development, and cloud-based data management. The review articles cover important issues concerning cryopreservation, including clinical applications. A perspective on current and future issues related to the ethical, legal, and social issues involved in biobanking reviews the recent proposed changes to inform consent rules in the United States, as well as the ever-changing landscape in regulations and the attitudes of patients. Finally, the ISBER Corner, a regular feature, summarizes ISBER's global initiatives.
We hope that you find this special anniversary issue informative in terms of current practices as well as upcoming changes due to emerging technologies and regulations. We expect to continue to have a wealth of exciting material for many more anniversaries!