Abstract
UHN Biospecimen Services and ISBER jointly held a successful virtual biobanking conference in October 2020 to accommodate COVID-related restrictions. This crucial initiative brought together an impressive list of speakers who discussed practical and impactful content. With ISBER at the forefront of biobanking policy and education and UHN bringing significant operational knowledge in biorepository management, this collaboration was well positioned to host the first collaborative UHN-ISBER 2020 Virtual Symposium.
The 2-day symposium hosted a wide range of critical and practical topics relevant to the biobanking community. The key goal of the program committee in hosting a virtual symposium was to bring the conference experience to the participants in a seamless manner. In developing the conference, the planning committee incorporated opportunities and formats that allow participants to virtually connect with peers across the globe. The roundtable discussions, interactive workshops, and poster booths, as well as the virtual exhibit hall, provided attendees with platforms to exchange ideas with national and international leaders in biospecimen-based research. Industry exhibitors and presenters shared their knowledge through live sessions, showcasing advancements in biobanking technology. Based on postconference feedback, a favorite for many was the “speed dating” networking opportunities as these allowed for multiple quick interactions with different individuals and helped exchange their biobanking efforts and ideas.
Attendance more than doubled expectations, bringing together >200 individuals across the globe, including from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America! Global participation was truly in line with this year's theme: “Act local, Think global.”
The audience was engrossed by presentations on crucial topics and experiences from around the world that resonate with biobanks of all sizes. Keynote speaker, Peter Watson, defined the value of biobanks and highlighted the factors that influence the assessment of value, as well as presented some solutions to enhance it.
Dr. Philip Awadalla introduced the attendees to CANPATH, Canada's largest population health cohort and a national platform for health research. Dr. Mathieu Groussin took us through a virtual worldwide tour across several developing countries, showcasing their biobanking efforts in the microbiome space as part of an international consortium. Dr. Michael Fraser tackled the “hot topic” of liquid biopsies, explaining the significant value these samples have in oncology research today, specifically for prostate cancer.
Through the abstract presentations, attendees gained insight into the benefits and challenges of rare disease biobanking in South Africa, heard about the benefits of independent validation of biobanking quality control from Luxembourg, and learned about the importance of clinical data collection and big data to advance research. From Austria and Australia, presenters introduced the global directory of COVID-19 samples, showcasing the joint initiatives between ISBER and BBMRI.
e-Consent is an important tool to foster a thriving research community, particularly when researchers and participants cannot be in the same location. Through their presentations on patient engagement, Nicole Sieffert, Miran Kenk, Nicola Geoheghan-Morphet, and Rupinder Mann addressed ethical considerations for remote consent with respect to regulatory guidelines and highlighted the impacts of e-consent in moving a biobank forward.
The ISBER workshop on business planning and sustainability, led by renown leaders in the field Marianne Henderson, Daniel Simeon-Dubach, and Kirstin Goldring, was highly interactive and a valuable learning experience. The audience had an opportunity to answer live polls and participate in real-time exercises through the chat and Q&A forum. During the current global pandemic, sustainability is more important than ever.
With COVID-19 at the forefront of our everyday life, the panel discussion of the Pan Canadian response to COVID-19, including the challenges, solutions, and lessons learned, had the participants at the edge of their seats and provided the audience with an opportunity to engage in the discussion and discuss locally relevant questions. Dr. Vincent Mooser and Dr. Shahid Husain spoke about the establishment of the largest COVID-19 Biobanks in Canada, and Dr. Allison Crawford brought our attention to the ECHO program available online to all health care providers. She focused on the ever-growing pressure of frontline staff, and the investigators who are trying to push out real-time results. Digital fatigue and the importance of human connection were discussed, as was the need for allocation of additional resources for self-care, mental health, and well-being. It destigmatized important topics and provided attendees with a list of useful tips and resources to “take home.”
This virtual conference proved that there are many avenues to foster conversation and collaboration around the world and helped ensure that we continue to always act local, but think global.
We look forward to seeing everyone next year!