European network of DNA, cell and tissue banks on rare diseases

Eurobiobank will set up the first operating network of rare diseases biological resources centres in Europe, gathering and facilitating the access to nearly 150.000 existing human biological samples of DNA, tissues and cell cultures. The network gathers 16 partners from 8 countries and is open to new memberships. It will optimise the exploitation of biological collections of human material. It will help reaching a critical mass of collections indispensable for research on rare diseases. Activities will focus on: development of a dedicated website interconnecting and facilitating access to collections; definition of high quality criteria and Standard Operating Procedures; mapping of relevant practical ethical issues; dissemination of SOP and know-how to the whole European scientific community, particularly through a training programme and information activities.