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Research Club on Biobanks

Cover with institution logos. Biobanks Research Club, TGHN LAC, UniValle, UPCH, UCSur and Fiocruz.

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Biobank Research Club: Enhancing Scientific Competencies in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Research Club on Biobanks Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a meeting space for researchers, health professionals and students from institutions in Peru and Brazil, including Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), Universidad Científica del Sur and Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz). Its purpose is to foster knowledge exchange on the storage of human biological material. The Club’s mission is to promote and strengthen the practice and understanding of biobanks in the LAC region, contributing to the development of participants’ scientific capacities in this field.

Modality: online, synchronous

Languages: Portuguese, Spanish and English.

Date and time of regular meetings: Monthly, every third Wednesday of the month, 1:30pm to 3:00pm (GMT-5 Lima time).

Fill in this biobanking activities interest form to receive information about the activities of the Biobanking Research Club: enriching scientific competencies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Background

The club was launched on 19 March 2025 in an online event organised by Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), entitled Biobank Management and Organisation: the Fiocruz Experience, Brazil, which included the participation of researchers from the Fiocruz Biobanks Network (RFBB) and Fiocruz Pernambuco. In the following two months, the core group of founding researchers worked remotely on planning the club’s activities and agreements, particularly on organising another webinar, entitled Twinning The Global Health Network Latin America and the Caribbean (TGHN LAC) Brazil-Peru: Biosafety and responsible management of biological material. This second webinar took place on 18 June, in a hybrid format embedded within the TGHN LAC Steering Committee Meeting. On that occasion, the founding core group met in person in Lima, Peru, and expanded to include participants from Universidad Científica del Sur (UCSur).

Since then, the monthly online meetings have been taking place according to the pre-established schedule. Initially, the agendas prioritise the scientific and operational development of three research projects aimed at understanding the practice of biobank activities in the three countries and the institutional and ethical-legal framework for biobanks in LAC. So far, the club includes the participation of four RFBB managers, three researchers from the Fiocruz-TGHN LAC consortium, two researchers and nine students from Fiocruz Pernambuco, four researchers from UPCH, one researcher and three students from UCSur, in addition to a new researcher from Universidad del Valle (UniValle, Colombia).

Coordination

Cristiane Campello Bresani Salvi – Physician, PhD – Department of Virology, Fiocruz PE, Brazil – Contact

Selma Beatriz Tibúrcio dos Santos – Nurse – The Global Health Network Latin America and the Caribbean – Contact

Fiocruz Biobanks Network / Fiocruz Vice-Presidency of Research and Biological Collections, Brazil

Claudio Gustavo Stefanoff – Geneticist, PhD – Fiocruz Biobanks Network, Fiocruz Vice-Presidency of Research and Biological Collections, Brazil

Daiane Franciele Francisco Sertorio – Biologist, MSc – Fiocruz Biobanks Network, Fiocruz Vice-Presidency of Research and Biological Collections, Brazil – Contact

Sarah Gomes de Menezes Benevenuto – Biologist, PhD – Fiocruz Biobanks Network, Fiocruz Vice-Presidency of Research and Biological Collections, Brazil – Contact

Thaís Alves Amaral Carrilho – Physiotherapist, MSc – Fiocruz Biobanks Network, Fiocruz Vice-Presidency of Research and Biological Collections, Brazil – Contact

Fiocruz Vice-Presidency of Education, Information and Communication, Brazil

Flávia Thedim Costa Bueno – Psychologist, PhD – Fiocruz Vice-Presidency of Education, Information and Communication, Brazil – Contact

Larissa Pruner Marques – Nurse, PhD – Fiocruz Vice-Presidency of Education, Information and Communication, Brazil – Contact

Fiocruz Pernambuco, Brazil

Janaina Campos de Miranda – Chemist, PhD – Department of Microbiology, Fiocruz PE, Brazil – Contact

The Global Health Network Latin America and the Caribbean

Noelle Ventura Jordão – Nurse – The Global Health Network Latin America and the Caribbean – Contact

Maurício de Nassau University

Caíki Fernandes de Souza Martins – Medical student – Maurício de Nassau University – Contact

Camilly Vitoria Bezerra da Silva – Medical student – Maurício de Nassau University – Contact

Caroline de Oliveira Chacon – Medical student – Maurício de Nassau University – Contact

Gustavo Pedrosa Osório Filho – Medical student – Maurício de Nassau University – Contact

Isabela Carneiro De Castro e Silva – Medical student – Maurício de Nassau University – Contact

Júlia de Oliveira Dall'Inha – Medical student – Maurício de Nassau University – Contact

Júlia Eduarda Souza Silva – Medical student – Maurício de Nassau University – Contact

Juliana Ferraz Interaminense – Medical student – Maurício de Nassau University – Contact

Natália Medeiros Andrade – Medical student – Maurício de Nassau University – Contact

Universidad Científica del Sur, Peru

Ana Lucía Tintaya Pelaes – Medical student – Universidad Científica del Sur, Peru – Contact

Cielo Amelia Estela Fernandez – Medical student – Universidad Científica del Sur, Peru – Contact

Fernando Miguel Runzer Colmenares – Physician, MSc – Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Científica del Sur, Peru – Contact

Sebastian Yanlu Montesinos Monterola – Medical student – Universidad Científica del Sur – Contact

Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru

Angel Junior Yarasca Castillo – Graduate in Medical Technology – Biosafety Office, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru – Contact

Cinthia Hurtado Esquen – Physician, MSc – University Directorate of Regulatory Research Affairs, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru – Contact

Henry Anchante Herrera – Biologist – Biosafety Office, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru – Contact

Javier Bustos Palomino – Physician, PhD – Faculty of Science and Engineering, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru – Contact

Universidad del Valle

Beatriz Parra Patino – Microbiologist, PhD – Universidad del Valle – Contact

Twinning

The collaboration within the Biobanking Research Club led to the formalisation of the twinning between Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), Universidad Científica del Sur (UCS), both in Peru, and Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), in Brazil. Through the Twinning Programme Brazil - Peru: equity in research for biobanks, Fiocruz and UPCH intend, within the framework of The Global Health Network Latin America and the Caribbean (TGHN LAC), to support each other in addressing regional biobanking challenges. To this end, this collaboration is based on strengthening scientific capacity in biobanking at both institutions, in order to provide technical support to new biobanks that meet both local needs and international standards of quality and biosafety. Eventually, the resulting scientific output may contribute to advancing the impact of biobanks on the health of Latin American populations.

Schedule

2025 - March

19 March

Webinar Biobank management and organisation: the Fiocruz experience

April

15 April

Session to organise the in-person event in Lima

Chair: Fiocruz

June

18 to 20 June

Twinning TGHN LAC Brazil-Peru webinar

October

15 October