Call for Abstracts for the International Conference “New Challenges for Biobanks. Ethics, Law and Governance”

December 4, 2008

Call for Abstracts
International Conference: 
New Challenges for Biobanks.  Ethics, Law and Governance
Leuven, Belgium
May 18-20th, 2009

The last few years have witnessed an important expansion of collection and processing of human biological samples and of the related information data. This activity has strategic importance for genetic research, clinical care and future treatments. Biobanks are huge repositories of human biological specimens. Biobanks are often key links between abstract genomic data and concrete patient medical records, between genotype and phenotype. Among other things, biobanks enable researchers to identify rare mutations in individuals with particular genotypes, and correlate drug response profiles with genotype.

During this conference experts will come together to discuss ethical, legal and governance issues related to biobanking. Among others the ethical and policy issues about the creation and organisation of the biobanks, the methods of obtaining and using samples and their related information, issues related to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality will be analysed.

This conference is an initiative of the GeneBanc Project, funded by the European Commission. It is organised by the Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law (K.U. Leuven, Belgium).

Abstracts for the conference can be submitted until January 28th, 2009.

Please consult the website www.genebanc.eu for more information about the conference.