Cancer biobanking

The Minister for Health, Mary Harney has published the Report of the Expert Group on Biobanking, which contains recommendations for the establishment of a National Cancer Biobank in Ireland. A biobank is a collection of patient samples and related information, and is an essential tool in the advancement of medical research.

The purpose of the proposed National Cancer Biobank is to be a standardised, or at least defined, collection of biological samples for patient-oriented research, to include hypothesis driven collections, as well as collections for questions arising, for the ultimate improvement of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of patients.

You can read more at the Irish Times Medical Times. Click here