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Dr Maimuna Mendy, Head of the Laboratory Services and Biobank Group, IARC. Biobanking provides the infrastructure for the collection, processing, and managing of biological samples and data for research. The new technical book is a revision of the IARC “Green Book” and it provides information for technical standards and protocols for harmonization of biobanks and, importantly, this new book has a section on ethics, legal and social issues and considerations that biobanks have to take into account when they are sharing their samples and their data. We know that there is an underrepresentation of samples – biological samples and associated data – from low- and middle-income countries, mainly because the facilities are underdeveloped. We are hoping that this new technical standard will be used in establishments and institutions to guide them to collect samples and data of high quality that can be used in collaborative projects. |