This biobanking course is organized by the Pasteur Institute Bioresources network (PIBnet), the European Virus Archive goes Global consortium (EVAg, H2020 Grant N°653316) and the Health Sciences eTraining Foundation (HSeT).

The purpose of this course is to enhance transfer of knowledge on biobanking by providing an online and practical training. The training will emphasize the terms and conditions to create and coordinate a biobank of pathogen microorganism samples (virus, bacteria, fungi or parasites). The Pasteur Institute (PI), the Institut Pasteur International Network (RIIP) and the European Virus Archive goes Global (EVAg) consortium have very large, varied and high-quality biobanks. Based on their past and ongoing experiences acquired during disease surveillance as well as throughout outbreaks and disaster situations, they will promote global informations on biobanking management, quality, biosafety or biosecurity.

One of the training aims is that trainees develop skills such as:

        • To select samples of interest for a collection

        • To implement and apply standardized characterization and storage procedures in accordance
          with internationally recognized quality standards

        • To fulfill regulatory documentations and to follow laws necessary for international exchanges

        • To develop an international community and a network of trained specialists in biobanking (teachers or
          others participants)

The selected trainees will have access to self-study modules through this HSeT dedicated webpage and forum. The training will cover different types of collection management (human, animal or microorganism samples), including a specific focus on the biobanking of viruses and derived products.
This course will be composed of an introduction of 1 week which will cover the basic fields of “the biobank world”. It will be followed by 2 weeks of training on the bioresources collection management (ethics, regulatory issues, biosafety & biosecurity, intellectual property, quality management system) and by 1 week dedicated to an overview and a critical analysis of different technical approaches used in the field of biobanking (sample acquisition, characterisation, storage, etc). Quizzes and exercises will be interspersed between the different training modules.
Finally, the trainees will be hosted by a one of the partner laboratories for a practical session of 1 week at the end of which the final examination will take place. This practical session will give to the trainees the opportunity to have a more practical overview of the different activities and to discuss specific issues of mutual interest with the present staff.