Category: Biobank News

The All-Island Biobanking Symposium, hosted by Biobank Ireland Trust, took place on Friday, 17th October 2025, at the Ashling Hotel, Dublin, bringing together leading researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and biobank professionals from across Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The event focused on advancing collaboration, standardisation, and innovation in biobanking to strengthen biomedical research and healthcare outcomes across the island. Speakers highlighted the vital role of biobanks in supporting precision medicine, translational research, and public health initiatives.

The symposium received national media attention, featuring on RTÉ’s Six O’Clock News, underscoring the growing recognition of biobanking as a critical part of Ireland’s research infrastructure.

Sessions covered topics including data governance, ethical frameworks, funding opportunities, and the future integration of biobanking networks across institutions. The event also provided an opportunity to showcase the All-Island Biobank Directory initiative, aimed at improving visibility and collaboration among existing biobanking resources.

The strong turnout and positive engagement reflected a shared commitment to fostering a coordinated, sustainable, and impactful biobanking network across Ireland.

Professor Sean Hynes Highlights All-Island Biobanking Symposium on Newstalk

Biobanking in Ireland: From Sample to Society

Presented by the Biobank Ireland Trust, Biobanc na Gaillimhe, Trinity St James Biobank, and Northern Ireland Biobank

Join us for the first ever full-day All Island Biobanking Symposium, a landmark event bringing together cutting-edge science and lived patient experience to explore the evolving role of biobanking in healthcare and research.

Biobanks are the backbone of modern medicine. From cancer to cardiovascular disease, ethically donated patient samples are driving discoveries, shaping new diagnostics, and powering precision therapies. This symposium will showcase the breadth of Irish biobanking expertise, highlight international collaborations, and spark a conversation on how we can build a stronger, more connected biobank network across Ireland.

The morning session spotlights networking biobanking practice on the island of Ireland and will explore opportunities, challenges and next steps in strengthening Ireland’s role in the international biobanking landscape.

The afternoon session brings the patient’s voice to the centre: exploring consent, trust, advocacy, and the human impact of biobanking. Patients, clinicians, and advocates will share how generosity in donation translates into real progress for cancer care and beyond.

Whether you are a researcher, clinician, policymaker, student, or patient advocate, this is your opportunity to connect, learn, and help shape the future of biobanking in Ireland.

When: Friday, October 17th, 2025

Where: Aisling Hotel, Dublin

Morning Session: 9.30am-1pm

Afternoon Session: 2pm-5pm

Eventbrite Link for registration – https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/all-island-biobanking-symposium-2025-tickets-1480558252589?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Trinity St James’s Biobank Network (TSBN) is a working group of representatives from biobanks in Trinity College Dublin and its associated hospitals; St James’s Hospital, The Coombe Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital, Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin and a collaborating hospital, Beaumont Hospital. The purpose of the TSBN is to act as a forum for education, co-ordination and policy generation for all areas relating to biobanking. Embedded within the network, is the patient voice. The TSBN Annual Newsletter provides a snapshot of some of the metrics across all disease-specific biobanks in 2024.

View the newsletter here: TSBN 2024 Newsletter

For more information on the TSBN, please click on the following link: https://www.tcd.ie/medicine/trinity-st-jamess-biobank-network/

Biobank Ireland Trust is developing a unified, federated system that links biobanks throughout the island of Ireland, encouraging collaboration and advancing cancer research. For the last 8 years, our teams of volunteers have run the Irish Life Dublin Marathon to raise the necessary funds to develop the Biobank network.

The Irish Life Dublin Marathon takes place on the 26th of October, starting in Leeson Street Lower at 8.45 am and finishes on Mount Street Upper, spanning for a total of 26.2 miles. Join our team as either a runner or walker and complete the Irish Life Dublin Marathon in under 7 hours, to make a tangible contribution to advancing cancer research and supporting the transformative work of Biobank Ireland Trust.

If you want to join our team, we have places available you can fill by following the link below:

Click Here to Join Us

At the St. James’s Histopathology Biobank, our interns are at the heart of the innovative research that drives medical advancements. This year, we’re thrilled to have Ellen and Szymon from DCU join our team. They began their internship in February and will be with us until August, gaining hands-on experience in the exciting fields of Biobanking and Histopathology.

Every day, Ellen and Szymon play an essential role in processing and preparing patient samples, ensuring high-quality slides are created for ongoing research into critical diseases like gastric and prostate cancer. Their attention to detail and commitment to preserving these vital samples are key to supporting studies that could lead to better diagnostic tools and more effective treatments in the future.

But their contributions don’t stop in the lab. Ellen and Szymon also actively support Biobank Ireland Trust, helping to raise awareness about the importance of biobanking and supporting fundraising initiatives that provide essential resources for scientific research. One of their key projects is developing a Biobank Directory, which will connect biobanks across Ireland and foster collaboration among researchers nationwide.

We’re incredibly grateful for their passion and hard work, and we look forward to the impact they will continue to make during their internship!

Read more about the recommendations made by Health Research Charities Ireland (HRCI) for elected representatives and policy makers in 2024 through the publication of their Position Paper. Within this paper, you will learn about new legislation in key areas, the need for investment in research infrastructure and how health research charities are responding to the needs of the public to accelerate the impact of this vital research.

View the paper here.