Message From the President Inside This Issue · Message From the President It is an honor and privilege to serve you as the President of our Society. I have been an active member

Inside This Issue:Message from the President

Page 1

Editor’s CornerPage 1

Smart MovesPage 4

2012 Committee ActivitiesPage 6

Call for Workshop Proposals Page 6

ISBER 2012 Outstanding New Product Award

Page 7

ISBER CornerPage 8

Public Policy UpdatePage 9

Repository Energy SavingsPage 10

Asian Network of Research ResourceCenters (ANRRC) Meeting

Page 12

ISBER Working GroupsPage 13

International Biobanking Summit: Future Directions

Page 14

Hot TopicsPage 15

ISBER 2012 Poster AwardeesPage 17

Photo ContestPage 18

Message From the PresidentIt is an honor and privilege to serve you as the President of our Society. I havebeen an active member of ISBER since its inception and am inspired daily by theenthusiasm, knowledge, and dedication of our members. Over the last decade,we have grown significantly and it is clear that our Society is still in the early stagesof an exponential growth phase. With the increasing awareness and focus on theneed for high quality, well-annotated specimens to support scientific research anddevelopment, market expectations are that the biorepository industry will grow atdouble-digit rates over the next five years. ISBER will play a central role duringthis growth phase as the leading international forum, uniting the global biobanking

community and promoting consistent, high quality standards, ethical principles, and innovation inbiospecimen banking. A major focus of the Council this year we will be to re-evaluate our supportstructure to ensure we are properly positioned for this growth.

Our 2012 Annual Meeting & Exhibits in Vancouver was a huge success with over 500 attendeesfrom countries around the globe. We had many inspiring and informative sessions that focused onpartnerships and collaborations in our global research environment; new approaches, and analyticalopportunities allowing us to keep up with new technologies; the evolving ethical and legalenvironment; sustainability in the face of natural and manmade disasters; and innovative technologysessions focused on the science and validation approaches for new products and methods. Theeducational and corporate workshops combined with the scientific posters, provided a wealth ofinformation for our attendees. Please see the article, “ISBER Corner” on page 8 written by MarianneHenderson and Daniel Simeon-Dubach, 2012 Program Committee Co-Chairs, for a detailedsummary of the meeting.

Several of our active members were recognized at this meeting for their outstanding contributions

Editor’s CornerI’m still smiling about what a great conference we enjoyed at Vancouver! Recordnumbers of attendees and vendors, presentations submitted, and the quality andquantity of new information for us was just incredible. My dance card was soloaded up I had to carry it around constantly so I wouldn’t forget obligations. It’salways a treat to see what’s new from our vendor members, and to catch up withold friends. It was also great to participate in the CAP Biorepository Inspectionprogram training, and provide feedback for their consideration.

Our meeting location was perfect, with our hotel right at the Vancouver Harbourwith the wonderful Stanley Park next door for our enjoyment and exercise-stimulation. The ancientCanadian redwoods were amazing, as was all of the landscaping throughout the park. I enjoyedthe daily morning and evening waterfront walks (often en route to another great restaurant),and admit to a momentary wee bit of envy for the fabulous boats and apartment/condohomes I admired there (but relief that I didn’t have to foot the bills to ownthem…). Our conference evening cruise provided a wonderful way tosee even more of the surrounding area. Thank you, Canada, for

www.isber.orgVol. 12, No. 3, August 2012

Promoting consistent, high quality standards, ethical principles and innovation in biospecimen banking throughout the global biobanking community.

(Continued on page 3)President

(Continued on page 5)Editor’s Corner

Council

Katheryn E. Shea, BS President

Marianne K. Henderson, MS Past President

Fay Betsou, DrSc HDR President-Elect

Cheryl Michels Secretary-Treasurer

Heather Siefers, MS Secretary-Treasurer-Elect

Paul Bartels, PhD, BVSc Councilor

Lori D. Campbell, PhD Councilor

Jane Carpenter, MAppSci, FIBMS Councilor, Program

Committee Co-Chair

Rebecca Pugh, MS Councilor

Andy Zaayenga Councilor

Ex-Officio Members

Roger L. Aamodt, PhD Strategic Planning

Committee Chair

Robert Hewitt, MBBS, PhD Publications Committee Chair

David Lewandowski Marketing Committee Chair

Peter Riegman, PhD Chapter Liaison - ESBB

Brent Schacter, MD FRCPC Program Committee Co-Chair

Katherine C. Sexton, MBA Education and Training

Committee Chair

Nicole Sieffert, CCRC Science Policy Committee

Administrative Chair

Mark E. Sobel, MD, PhD Executive Officer

Society Office Staff

Ann Marie Bocus Membership Manager

James Douglas, CPA Chief Operating Officer

Sara Hamilton Meetings Manager

Laurie Menser Director of Marketing and

Development

Chris Wallington Web Developer

Michele Zink Project Manager

ISBER News Editor

Elaine W. Gunter, MT (ASCP)

ISBER News is published 4 times per year. Copyright by theInternational Society for Biological and EnvironmentalRepositories. Newsletters are posted in PDF format on theISBER website at www.isber.org/newsletters/.

Advertising rates are posted on the ISBER website atwww.isber.org/advertising/, or direct inquiries to Laurie Menser,Director of Marketing and Development at [email protected],Tel: 301-634-7908.

International Society for Biological and

Environmental Repositories (ISBER)9650 Rockville Pike, Suite E133

Bethesda, MD 20814-3993 (USA)Tel: 301-634-7949, Fax: 301-634-7990

Email: [email protected], Web: www.isber.org

ISBER is a division of the

American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP)

www.asip.org

International Society for Biological and Environmental RepositoriesISBER News, Vol. 12, No. 3, August 2012 Page 2


President(Continued from page 1)

to the repository industry and our Society. Dr. Robert Hewitt, anISBER Past President and the current Executive Officer for theEuropean, Middle Eastern and African Society for Biopreservationand Biobanking (ESBB), a regional chapter of ISBER, is the 2012ISBER Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking Award (sponsoredby Taylor-Wharton) recipient. Ms. Marianna Bledsoe received theISBER Distinguished Leadership & Service Award for her continueddedication to leadership of the Society. Ms Bledsoe is the SeniorProgram Manager for Biorepositories and Biobanking at theDepartment of Veterans Affairs, Office of Research andDevelopment, and a Past President of ISBER. This year, we hadthree ISBER Special Service Awardees. Ms. Cheryl Michels, ourSecretary-Treasurer, was recognized for establishing a detailedplanning and tracking system for our 5-year budget projections. Thiswork was done in conjunction with the ASIP staff. Ms. NicoleSieffert was recognized for her successful efforts in organizing andlaunching the Science Policy Committee. Mr. Andy Zaayenga wasawarded for his devoted efforts in creating the ISBER listserv weeklydigests of publications and news articles focused on biobanks andbiospecimen science. Each of these individuals continues to showexemplary dedication and passion to furthering our Society!

Our 2013 Annual Meeting & Exhibits will be in beautiful Sydney,Australia on May 5-9, 2013. This year’s theme will be Turning theWorld Upside Down: Emerging Perspectives on Biorepositories. Wewill focus on emerging topics and applications for biospecimens,examining issues such as global data sharing, translationalresearch, environmentally-focused biobank issues, biospecimenscience, ethical and legal issues surrounding the collection anddissemination of biospecimens and their results, and innovativetechnologies. More information on this meeting can be found atwww.isber.org/2013. Applications for travel awards are available atthis site and are due by October 1st. We hope to see you there!

ISBER is part of several regional meetings occurring this year thatwill help further our mission to 1) create opportunities for sharingideas internationally and harmonizing approaches to evolvingchallenges in biobanking and repository operation; and 2) fostercollaborations, create education and training opportunities, andprovide an international showcase for state-of the art researchfindings and cutting edge technologies, products, and services.

ISBER is co-sponsoring a one-day, International BiobankingSummit: Future Directions, with P3G, BioSHaRE.EU, ENGAGE,BBMRI.se and ESBB on September 19, 2012. The Summit is a pre-conference day associated with the BBMRI.se hosted Hands-on:Biobanks meeting on September 20-21 in Uppsala, Sweden.Through a plenary session format, the Summit will provideresearchers, biobankers, and policy makers with a stake in planningthe international route forward in global biobanking. For moreinformation see http://bbmri.se/en/Conferences/handsonbiobanks/Pre-conference/. The registration deadline is September 11th.

Our Asian affiliate, the Asian Network of Research ResourceCenters (ANRRC), will be hosting its 4th annual meeting on October17-19, 2012, at the ShineVille Resort on Jeju Island, which islocated southwest of the Korean peninsula. This meeting will featurepresentations on current issues faced by biological resourcecenters, the latest developments in data management, theregulatory environment and application of our resources. Moreinformation about this meeting can be found athttp://anrrc2012.knrrc.or.kr.

The ESBB, a regional chapter of ISBER, will be having a JointConference with the Spanish National Biobank Network (RedNacional de Biobancos) in Granada, Spain from November 7-9,2012. The local host and co-organizer for the conference is theAndalusian Public Health System Biobank (Biobanco del SistemaSanitario Público de Andalucía) and its theme is Biobanks—Advancing Science and Serving Society in the 21st Century.Additional information can be found athttp://www.esbb.org/granada/index.html.

In addition to these organized conferences, our committees andworking groups will continue to be very productive thanks to thesupport of many of you, our dedicated members! These groupsmeet throughout the year and focus on specific areas of biobanking.If you are interested in becoming active in ISBER, please seewww.isber.org/GetInvolved. Another way to contribute to our Societyis to contribute to our official journal, Biopreservation andBiobanking (BIO). BIO publishes a broad range of original articlesfocusing on collection, processing, and preservation ofbiospecimens, as well as societal considerations surroundingbiobanking and biorepository operations. It has a growing audience,with readers in over 140 different countries around the world. This,combined with our very active listserv, provides wonderfuleducational opportunities for our community.

I think you will agree that we have a very active and productive yearahead! I am looking forward to the challenge and will do my best tomake this another successful year for ISBER. I look forward to yourparticipation in our ISBER sponsored events and to seeing each ofyou in Sydney!

Kathi SheaSeraCare Life Sciences, USA

ISBER President



Looking for a New Job?Job Seekers

n Post an Anonymous Resumen View Jobsn Personal Job Alertn Create Jobseeker Account

Employers/Recruiters

n View the Resumesn Post a Jobn Products/Pricingn Create Employer Account

www.BioBankingJobs.com



Heather Siefers, Senior Manager ofClinical Supplies and SpecimensManagement at Aeras

Aeras welcomed Heather Siefers asthe new Senior Manager of ClinicalSupplies and SpecimenManagement in March 2012. In hernew role, she is leading thedevelopment of an integrated clinicalspecimen data library that will poolinformation across multipledepartments and global clinical trialsites into one central database. Thisnew centralized data library willprovide Aeras and its collaboratorsreal-time access to specimen dataand provide the infrastructure for fullchain of custody tracking and

seamless results reporting.

Heather has been working in the field of biobanking andbiospecimen science for over 12 years, and currently serves as theISBER Secretary-Treasurer Elect. She brings with her a vastknowledge of repository and study design and a history of analyzingdepartment operations to implement a continuous improvementenvironment while promoting increased quality compliance, process

efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Kevin McCluskey,PhD, ResearchProfessor in theSchool of BiologicalSciences, Universityof Missouri –Kansas City Dr. Kevin McKluskey was recentlypromoted to full professor in theSchool of Biological Sciences atUMKC. Kevin is the Project Director

of a newly funded grant from the (United States) National ScienceFoundation entitled “Research Coordination Network: a communityof ex situ microbial germplasm collections.”

This network will bring together curators and users of microbialgermplasm to fulfill a variety of goals. Co PIs are A. Rick Bennett,Chair, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas andSeogchan Kang, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, PennState University.

The formal public abstract distributed via the NSF describes theResearch Coordination Network as follows:

A network bringing together scientists working with laboratory basedcollections of microbes is being established. The network will holdnumerous workshops teaching best practices for managing,preserving, and distributing bacteria, fungi, and other microscopicorganisms in the context of formal culture collections. Biosecurityand regulatory issues will also be emphasized at workshops.Additional goals include re-establishing a professional society ofculture collection researchers in the US, developing internet basedcollection management tools, and fostering communication betweenUS collections, foreign collections, and international collectionnetworks.

Collections of living microbes assure that current and past researchand innovation are available to future generations of scientists.Biological materials which are made available via well managedcollections represent the foundation of the modern biotechnologyindustry. Materials in culture collections impact fields as diverse ashuman health, agricultural productivity, biotechnology, and bio-diversity research. While there are several professional collectionsin the US, most collections in the US are small and do not have longterm strategies for survival. The network supported by this grant willensure that smaller collections benefit from expertise available atlarger living microbe collections.

Kevin McCluskey, PhDCurator FGSCResearch ProfessorSchool of Biological SciencesUniversity of Missouri- Kansas City5007 Rockhill RoadKansas City, MO 64110

Fisher BioServices Recognized forProducts, Services & SolutionsCongratulations to Fisher BioServices, part of ThermoFisherScientific, for being recognized by Frost & Sullivan for theirsuperiority in the global biobanking products, services and solutionsmarket.” Complete information is available online ath t t p : / / w w w . f r o s t . c o m / p r o d / s e r v l e t / p r e s s -release.pag?searchQuery=fisher&docid=260042185

Smart Moves

ISBER Corporate PartnershipsHighlighting your products and services to theinternational specimen repository community!

Corporate Partnerships are designedto provide ISBER memberorganizations additional high-visibilityopportunities to highlight theircompany, products and services atthe Annual Meeting and on theISBER website.

Partnerships provide unparalleledopportunities to connect withprofessionals in the specimencollection and storage industry indomestic and international markets.

www.isber.org/CP


Editor’s Corner(Continued from page 1)

hosting us – we can’t wait to return.

Our inaugural ISBER 2Kwalk/5K run in Stanley Park wasincredibly successful. DavidLewandowski did a terrific jobof coming up with this ideathrough the ISBER MarketingCommittee, and enlistingsupport from Chart-MVE for ourpermanent race trophy, gettingcatchy t-shirts printed by his

company CryoBioSystem, finding enthusiastic volunteers forregistration and the day of the run-walk (including the tireless JayYakabowitch of Artificial Intelligence, who laid out and road-signedthe routes, and then ran the routes 3-4X that day!). The best part,however, was that this event was planned to benefit the [chronicallyunder-funded] ISBER Global Expansion Fund. We hoped to get atleast 50 participants, and David optimistically printed up 80 t-shirts.By the morning of the run, 134 participants had signed up, and weraised $5,180 for the Fund to help provide travel support forindividuals from emerging countries to attend the ISBER AnnualMeeting. Thanks to everyone who participated and this event willnow be a permanent part of the Annual Meeting.

Please go to the ISBER home page and check out the pressreleases on our award winners (Robert Hewitt received theOutstanding Achievement in Biobanking Award sponsored by Taylor-Wharton, and Marianna Bledsoe received the DistinguishedLeadership and Service Award) and our newly elected President-Elect, Fay Betsou, Secretary-Treasurer-Elect, Heather Siefers,and Councilors Paul Bartels and Rebecca Pugh. Congratulationsto all!

Jim Vaught, Roger Aamodt, and I presented a biobankingsymposium “Biorepositories: Road Map to Success” at the AmericanAssociation for Clinical Chemistry’s Annual Meeting on July 17th –all part of spreading the good word about ISBER and BiobankingBest Practices.

Be sure and circle the dates for next year’s annual meeting in

Sydney, Australia, and check out how many Australian memberswe currently have in the member directory – 25! That’s a hot bedof activity, with a number of groups represented as well. We hopeto entice a lot of Pacific Rim members and vendors to attend, sowe all need to network to spread the word.

Thanks to our favorite road runner Jay Yakabowich of AIM(Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Inc.) for highlighting ISBERthrough an excellent article on its start and current globalexpansion discussed by outgoing President Marianne Henderson.This article was featured in AIM’s July 2012 Tissue Metrix News,and was shared through the ISBER Listserv. Great work, Jay andMarianne!

Elaine GunterISBER Newsletter Editor


Read the 3rd Edition of theISBER Best Practices (BP)for Repositories: Collection,Storage, Retrieval andDistribution of BiologicalMaterials for Research,published in the April 2012issue of Biopreservation andBiobanking (BIO).ISBER Members:Access BIO online atwww.isber.org/members

ISBER Best Practicesfor Repositories

Our Run/Walk volunteers: L-R, Bas de Jong, Peter Riegman, LaurieMenser (Staff), Dave Lewandowski, Elaine Gunter, Phil Baird, DebGarcia, and Alison Parry-Jones

Wanted: A New ISBER Newsletter Editor (the Old One has been doing this since the May 2008 issue,and is ready to share the fun)

Job Description: Soliciting articles and other contributions forthe 4 newsletters published each year (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct), writingthe Editor’s Column for each issue, gently nagging potentialcontributors, and constantly being amazed at how great everyissue looks.

Abilities needed: Writing and basic editing skills, sense ofhumor, patience, the desire to interact with the entire ISBERmembership and to enhance the visibility of our organization

Benefits: Getting to interact with that previously –mentionedentire ISBER membership, serving as a member of thePublications Committee, having your picture on the ISBERwebsite publications newsletter page (plus all those publicationcredits!), and working with our terrific ASIP staff: Michele Zink,who edits everything, Laurie Menser, who handles the marketingand vendor items, and Alta & Chris Wallington, who give us thegreat graphics in the newsletter and on the website.

The new Editor-Elect would work with me for the next severalissues, experiencing the effort to troll the membership forcontributions and pulling the issues together. It’s a fun job – itdoes consume a little time, but not an undue amount, especiallyafter you get the quarterly publishing cycle under your belt – andyou do get to engage everybody, so how can you beat that?



ISBER Committee Activities for2011-2012

Education & Training - Kathy Sexton, MBA

n Annual Meeting§ Workshop Selection – Both Optional and E&T§ Travel Award§ Workshop Evaluations

n Best Practices§ 3rd edition – just published§ 4th edition – will begin

n Self-Assessment Tool (SAT)n Endorsement of Coursesn Certified Repository Technician (CRT) Programn Survey ReviewsnWebinar Opportunities

Publications Committee Activities - Robert E Hewitt, MBBS,PhD

n Reviewed and provided constructive feedback on official documents:

§ ISBER Newsletter§ ISBER Best Practices§ ISBER Corner articles§ ISBER Working Group publications

n Assisted Council in developing ISBER publication policies

n Judged the posters at this year’s annual meeting

Strategic Planning Committee - Roger Aamodt, PhD

n Designed a system to improve communication between ISBER leadership and ASIP staff

n Revised the Guidelines for Regional Chapter Formation

nWorked with ESBB to develop plans to ensure ESBB activities are integrated with ISBER activities

n Created a new category of ISBER partnerships for geographically located Biobanking Societies, “Affiliates”

Science Policy Committee - Tyron C. Hoover, MD, JD, FCLM,FCAP, Nicole J. Sieffert, Nikolajs Zeps, PhDThe first 9 months….

n Established August, 2011 as an Ad hoc Committee§ Converted to Standing Committee status

March, 2012

n Participated in ASIP’s response to the “Common Rule”ANPRM

n Drafted a response to the ANPRM on ISBER’s behalf § Formally submitted to OHRP and ISBER

listserv 10/26/11

n Drafted an endorsement statement in response to the Australian National Statement on ISBER’s behalf

§ Formally submitted January, 2012n Reviewed numerous additional publications for

potential response

n Provided “Public Policy Update” articles for the ISBER Newsletter

Marketing Committee - Bas de Jong, PhD

n Annual Meeting Promotionn Social Networks – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twittern Member-to-Member Campaignn Renewal Program n Newsletter and Weekly News Digestn BiobankingJobs.comn ISBER Promotional Slide Deckn Partnering with like-minded organizationsn New Product Awardsn Member Profiles / Get to Know a Fellow Membern Innovation Session at annual meeting n B2B (Business to Business) at Annual Meeting &

Exhibits

n Photo Contest at Annual Meeting & Exhibitsn Member-Get-a-Member Campaign

Finance Committee - Cheryl Michels2011 Recap

n Total Revenues - $776,718 n Total Expenses - $699,359 n Net Revenues - $77,359 n Fund Balance - $284,445

Call for Workshop ProposalsOpportunity to Offer a Topic-Driven Workshop at the ISBER2013 Annual Meeting. The ISBER Education and Training(E&T) Committee is responsible for ensuring high qualityeducational workshops as a part of ISBER’s Annual Meetings.The E&T Committee would like to extend an invitation to ISBERmembers to organize a topic‐driven workshop to be held duringthe ISBER Annual Meeting to be held in Sydney, Australia, May5-9, 2013. These workshops will be educational in nature,informing meeting attendees about specific types ofbiorepository activities. These are different from the corporateworkshops which afford sponsors an opportunity to feature theirown products and services. The topic-driven workshops shouldsupport ISBER’s Vision and Mission.

Selected workshops will be presented once during the courseof the Annual Meeting.

Please note that all workshop leaders and presenters mustregister for the ISBER annual meeting. ISBER will not waiveregistration fees or provide travel support for workshop leadersor presenters.

If you are interested in leading a workshop during the 2013Annual Meeting, please download the following form:

http://www.isber.org/mtgs/2013/documents/WORKSHOPPROPOSALSUBMISSIONFORM2013-

UPDATED.pdfThe deadline for submitting proposals is September 10, 2012



CryoXtract is the Recipient of the 2012 ISBER Outstanding NewProduct AwardThe second annual ISBER Outstanding New Product Award contest attracted a lot of interest from our vendors. The followingcompanies and products were entered into the competition:

The judges were ISBER members Jane Carpenter, Heather Siefers, Bob White, Jacqueline MacKenzie-Dobbs, and Phil Baird.They visited each entrant’s booth, and carefully evaluated the product. This year’s winner is CryoXtract’s CXT 750™ Automated

Frozen Sample Aliquotter!

CryoXtract’s CXT 750TM Automated Frozen Sample liquotter

CryoXtract is located in Arlington, VA. CEO Jorge deDios provided this description:

“The novel CXT 750TM Frozen Sample Aliquotter offersbiobanks a fully robotic automated platform technology toaliquot frozen samples repeatedly without exposing theparent sample to damaging freeze/thaw cycles --helpingprotect sample integrity and maximize sample usable life.The robot deposits the still-frozen extracted cores intoseparate cryotubes to be distributed for downstreamanalyses. Once the necessary frozen cores have beenobtained from the parent sample, the parent vial can bereturned to storage still frozen 70°C and may be processedagain at a later date for additional frozen cores. The robotextracts consistently homogenous, representative,volumetrically-uniform aliquots and eliminates carryoverbetween samples. The system’s applications include frozenbiofluids, RNA, DNA, tissue, and other biomaterials. Thisprocess enables biobanks to store samples in largervolumes up front -- helping improve laboratory efficienciesand reduce cold storage requirements.”



The 2012 ISBER Annual Meeting &ExhibitsThe International Society for Biological and EnvironmentalRepositories (ISBER) held its 2012 Annual Meeting & Exhibits onMay 15-18, 2012 at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, BC,Canada. The theme of the meeting was “Keeping Step in anEvolving Global Research Environment: Biobanking for Now andfor the Future.” ISBER is the leading international forum foraddressing the technical, legal, ethical, and managerial issuesrelevant to repositories of biologic and environmental specimens.This year's exciting meeting featured multiple plenary symposia,educational workshops, corporate workshops, contributed papers,poster sessions, and working group discussions. With 528participants registered for the meeting, attendance was among theSociety's highest. Scientists and biorepository and biobankingpersonnel from around the world attended this premier event in thefield of repository and specimen management. Vendor membersdemonstrated the latest products, services, and technology in thefield of repository and specimen collection.

The meeting was preceded by six optional workshops organized byISBER members. Topics included:

n Designing and Maintaining a Tissue Repository; n Evaluation and Design of Information Management

Systems for Biorepositories;

n Applications of High-resolution Slide Scanning in Clinical and Research Settings;

n What's it Worth? Assessing the Contributions of Your Biorepository;

n A Series of Questions and Possibilities to Help Assess Whether or Not to Automate Workflow;

n Regulatory Considerations for Biorepositories: Navigating HHS, FDA, HIPAA and Informed Consent.

These workshops were well attended, and several were sold out.

The theme of “Keeping Step” was threaded through four plenarysessions. The primary symposium entitled “The Evolving GlobalResearch Environment: New Partnerships and Collaborations” wasopened with a keynote lecture by Dr. Bruce McManus of theUniversity of British Columbia, James Hogg Research Centre. Thelecture focus was the UBC PROOF Center of Excellence and itsexample of how the need for quality biospecimens and well-connected data systems is fulfilled through new approaches topartnerships and collaborations. The meeting continued on thesecond day with a symposium entitled “Keeping Step with NewTechnologies,” focusing upon new approaches and associatedchallenges in meeting the technical and analytical opportunities thatwill be instrumental in shaping future developments in biological andenvironmental repositories. On day three, the “InnovativeTechnologies” symposium focused on the science and validationbehind new products and technologies that have the potential toimpact biorepository operations and specimenmanagement/workflow. Presentations in this session were selectedfrom a special category of attendees’ abstract submissions.

For the first time at the ISBER Annual Meeting, a late breakingsession was organized, focusing on international policy

developments and the potential implication for biobanking andresearch. An overview of these developments was presentedfollowed by a panel discussion which included biobankers and otherglobal stakeholders. The very active panelist and audiencediscussion proved the validity of this new type of session. Thesymposium on “Keeping Step with the Evolving Ethical-LegalEnvironment” focused on the inclusion of stakeholder andbenefactor community input, as well as new rules/regulations in theplanning and management of biological and environmentalrepositories. Presentations in this session were followed by aninteresting and lively panel discussion. The final symposium, on thefourth day of the meeting, “Ensuring Sustainability in the Face ofGlobal Crises,” focused on the recent rise in number, diversity, andseverity of natural and man-made disasters impacting biorepositoryoperations and sustainability. Speakers from across the globeprovided their perspectives regarding the crises, recovery, andlessons learned for future research and/or operations.

The ISBER Education and Training Committee organized fourworkshops that were well-attended during the Annual Meeting.Topics spanned a variety of areas that are important to themembership including operations, ethical/legal issues, andcollaborative networks. Workshop titles included:

n Informed Consent in Biobanking: A Practical Approach for Training and Delivery;

n Establishing a Biobank for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and their Primary Source Cells;

n Biobank Certification - The Canadian Tumor Repository Network (CTRNet) Model;

n Managing Commercial Outcomes from Biospecimen Use: Can We Achieve Ethical Benefit Sharing?

In addition, ISBER Working Groups hosted lively face-to-facediscussions and work sessions during the meeting to recapcompleted products and plan upcoming activities.

Overall, attendees submitted 158 abstracts to be considered for oralor poster presentation during the ISBER 2012 Annual Meeting.Twenty-four abstracts were selected to be presented within fourcontributed paper sessions: ELSI in Biobanking: Striking the RightBalance; Biobanking Quality Assurance and Control: Quality In,Quality Out; Hot Topics in Biobanking; and Biobanking Informatics:Making the Right Connections. Two large poster sessions wereheld. The quality and quantity of presentations of the posterspresented at the meeting was testimony to the growth andmaturation of the biorepository and biospecimen science communitythat ISBER serves. Accepted abstracts for the meeting werepublished in the April 2012 issue of Biopreservation and Biobanking(BIO), the official journal of ISBER, along with the 3rd Edition of theISBER Best Practices for Repositories: Collection, Storage,Retrieval, and Distribution of Biological Materials for Research. Wehave invited each of the speakers from the 2012 meeting plenariesand contributed papers sessions to consider submitting originalarticles based on their presentation topics.

The ISBER Annual Business meeting was held on May 17th. Thisfeatured an address by the outgoing ISBER President, MarianneK. Henderson, status reports from all active volunteer member-staffed Committees, and the presentation of our two mostprestigious awards. The ISBER Award for Outstanding Achievementin Biobanking (sponsored by Taylor-Wharton) was presented toRobert Hewitt and the ISBER Distinguished Leadership & ServiceAward was presented to Marianna Bledsoe. These awards werefeatured in the February 2012 ISBER Corner article in BIO. TheISBER President also presented three well-deserved ISBER

(Continued on page 9 - ISBER Corner)

ISBER Corner



ISBER Corner (Continued from page 8)

Special Service Awards to Cheryl Michels, Nicole Sieffert, andAndy Zaayenga. These awards are designed to recognizeindividuals who have made exceptional contributions toward thegoals of the Society through the performance of a special serviceor act on behalf of the organization. The Asterand-ISBERBiospecimen Science Poster Awards were presented to Ali Cole etal. for their poster titled, ‘Biospecimen Use and EmergingTechniques in Cancer Research’, and to Steven Turner et al fortheir poster titled, ‘Epstein-Barr Virus Transformed HumanLymphoblastoid Cell Lines: the Effect of Donor Age and Gender onTransformation Efficiency’. Francesca Poloni et al. and Miral Patelet al. were recognized with the ISBER Biobanking Poster Awardsfor their posters titled ‘ISBER Proficiency Testing Program forBiorepositories’ and ‘REMA Simplifies Operative ScheduleSearchability for Prospective Tissue Procurement’, respectively. Therecipients of the ISBER Biobanking Poster Awards donated theiraward stipend to the ISBER Global Expansion Fund. Theculmination of the business meeting was the presentation of thePresidential gavel to the incoming 2012-2013 President, KatherynShea, and the introduction of the 2012-2013 Council, including thenew President-Elect, Fay Betsou.

As a fantastic and well-received addition to the Annual meeting, theISBER Marketing Committee organized the first annual ISBERRun/Walk to benefit the ISBER Global Expansion Fund, which washeld in the very early morning hours of May 17th. It was anincredible success, raising more than $5,000. The Annual Meetingevents were capped off by a relaxing cruise aboard the MagicCharm, a 110-foot yacht that took participants to see the wonderfulviews of the picturesque Vancouver skyline.

The 2012 ISBER Annual Meeting & Exhibits was a fantasticopportunity to network with colleagues, learn about new andongoing biobanking initiatives from other members, and participatein lively discussions focused on all aspects of repositories of biologicand environmental specimens.

Save the Date!

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend the 2013 ISBERAnnual Meeting & Exhibits, which will be held on May 5-9, 2013 inSydney, Australia. The deadline for abstracts for the 2013 meetingis November 15, 2012. The format for the 2013 Annual meeting willincorporate the membership’s suggestion to allow additional timefor networking and poster viewing during the meeting week. The2013 ISBER Program Committee is busy planning an interestingprogram, filled with emerging topics affecting biorepositories andbiospecimen science. Please check www.isber.org/2013 foradditional exhibitor and attendee information.

Marianne Henderson and Daniel Simeon-Dubach2012 Program Committee Co-Chairs

Jane Carpenter and Brent Schacter2013 Program Committee Co-Chairs

California Senate Bill 1267 – Genetic Information Privacy Act

In the last hours of the ISBER Annual meeting, an announcementwas made regarding California Senate Bill 1267, which was underreview and might dramatically impact biospecimen-related researchif passed.

This bill, introduced by State Senator Alex Padilla, would establishthe Genetic Information Privacy Act in the State of California,requiring that an individual’s genetic information be protected bythe right of privacy. It would prohibit any person from obtaining,analyzing, or disclosing genetic information without the writtenauthorization of the individual to whom the information pertains.The bill would require a separate written authorization for eachdisclosure of an individual’s genetic information, and would providea written authorization form to be used. Civil and criminal penaltieswould be established for violations.

Certain individuals would be exempt from these prohibitions andpenalties including, among others, law enforcement officials in theexecution of their official duties, as well as hospitals, laboratories,and physicians carrying out court-ordered tests. The bill wouldpermit disaggregated and anonymized data that was collectedbefore the bill’s enactment to be used without authorization. It wouldalso permit the use of disaggregated and anonymized data if writtenauthorization is obtained and the data are used for a purposeauthorized by the individual to whom the information pertains.

ISBER members were informed about the bill and the SciencePolicy Committee requested their input. Comments were collectedfor consideration of a formal response on ISBER’s behalf. As anonprofit educational organization, ISBER is restricted fromlobbying, but can provide educational materials to informlegislators. The bill was passed by the Senate Judiciary CommitteeApril 24, 2012 but was held under submission by the SenateAppropriations Committee, meaning that the Chair of that legislativecommittee did not allow the bill to come to a full committee vote,effectively stopping it, and making the need for a statement fromISBER less urgent. The bill will have to be reintroduced in the nextlegislative session to be pursued.

Those who would like to follow this bill can do so by viewing thefollowing links:General summary & updates:http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/Bills/SB_1267/20112012/Legislative council digest:http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml;jsessionid=89c5b933c6dc541d55890a7a674c?bill_id=201120120SB1267

Similar concerns are being raised as a result of the proposedEuropean Data Protection Act. We will have more information onthat topic in the next Public Policy Update.

The ISBER Science Policy Committee welcomes your commentson this topic and encourages suggestions for discussion regardingother science policy concerns. Please feel free to contact SciencePolicy Co-Chair Nicole Sieffert at [email protected].



Repository EnergySavingsThe cost of electricity is a major monthly item in most repositories’operating budget. The cost of power (dollars per kilowatt hour) isnormally a function of where the repository is located and who theprovider of power is. The unit cost of electricity can vary widelybased on geography and how the power is generated. Asrepository operators, the most we can do is utilize the power weconsume in the most efficient manner. The unit cost of power istrending upward, and this is highly unlikely to be reversed.

The largest consumers of electricity in most biorepositories typicallyare the refrigerators, freezers, and the heating and air conditioning(HVAC) systems. Other significant areas of power consumption arelighting, some lab equipment (particularly incubators), and computerequipment. As equipment ages it typically becomes less efficient.Friction in pumps and compressors increases with age, thermaltransfer fluids become less efficient, corrosion occurs, lightsbecome less bright with age, and a host of other issues occur whichslowly increase the power required to maintain performance. Asnew equipment is being designed, the energy efficiency is beingaddressed – newer equipment generally has lower powerrequirements.

Ultra-low freezers (-80°C) both consume significant amounts ofpower and generate large amounts of heat. Because compressorlife is significantly shortened if the ambient temperature exceeds75°F, it is normal to have to provide cooled air to freezer rooms,even on the coldest winter days. Ultralow (-80°C) freezers typicallyrequire 6,000 – 7,000 BTUs of cooling per hour. One ton of airconditioning is equivalent to 12,000 BTUs per hour, so we need atleast a ton of HVAC capacity for every 2 ultralow freezers tomaintain the needed ambient conditions.

Walk-in refrigerators (2-8°C) and freezers and some automatedfreezer designs avoid the ambient HVAC issue by placing thecompressors outside the room containing the freezers, typicallyoutdoors. The new large -80°C reach-in freezers also have thisadvantage.

While one way to improve energy efficiency is to replace olderequipment with newer, more efficient models, this is seldomeconomic for a repository. The return on investment of purchasingnew equipment strictly for improved power utilization will almostnever be attractive. For most repositories minimizing capitalrequirements, especially equipment replacement, is the norm.Therefore, it behooves us to look at methods to improve the existingequipment’s energy utilization.

There is technology available to improve the performance of bothair conditioning compressors and chillers, and those associated withthe storage units. Compressor efficiency – whether in a stand-alonestorage unit, a roof top HVAC unit, or an outside installation,decreases with time. The heat transfer capability of the unitsdecrease, measured as the difference between inlet and outlettemperature of the compressor fluid, and friction within thecompressors require more energy to generate the same amount ofcooling. More kilowatt hours are required to achieve the sameresults. One method of reversing this is the introduction of a polarfluid in the heat transfer media. A properly selected and compatiblefluid utilizing nanotechnology can reverse the aging effects toimprove thermal performance and reduce friction. A note of caution,

polar fluids developed in the 90’s are not compatible with the currentgeneration of refrigerants, and can damage equipment throughcorrosion. The chosen fluid must be designed to be compatible withthe specific equipment used. This is not a “one size fits all”technology, and has led some of the products on the market to becharacterized as “snake oil.” However, a properly specified productcan produce significant operating improvements. There is alsoantidotal evidence that equipment life is extended by theseproducts.

A second area of inefficiency lies in the way HVAC equipment isdesigned and sized. HVAC systems are normally sized (number oftons) to address the maximum cooling requirements based on whatis estimated to be the maximum temperature during the year. Thesystem operates at maximum capacity until the room cools and thethermostat turns the system off. When the room warms back upthe air conditioning again comes on at maximum cooling. Undermost conditions, maximum cooling capacity it not required and thesystem is oversized. The heat exchanger in the system has amaximum thermodynamic capacity. It can hold only a limitedamount of cooling energy. Once this point is reached no furthercooling is possible, and the energy consumed by the compressorsystem continuing to operate is wasted. Devices can be added tothe system which sense the stored cooling energy, and when themaximum has been reached, turn off the compressor while allowingthe fan to run to utilize the stored cooling capacity until more coolingcan be used and the compressor switched back on. These devicesuse software to monitor the ambient temperature and optimize thecompressor operation, saving kilowatt hours.

A related common problem occurs when the cooling units inrefrigeration units and air conditioning systems are not working tospecification or fail. While the thermal monitoring systemsemployed in repositories will provide notice of freezer failure, onlycareful monitoring of the compressor operating cycles will revealperformance degradation and incipient failure. Most current existingsystems do not monitor the temperature differentials at thecompressors, a key indicator of operating efficiency. Airconditioning units, particularly those mounted out-of-the-way on rooftops, are seldom monitored and only total failure or routinemaintenance exposes problems. Software and sensors similar tofreezer monitoring systems are available to monitor this equipment.With a data analytics system, performance of cooling systems andelectrical usage can be monitored on a real time basis. Alarms canbe put in place to provide notification that equipment function isfalling out of specification and provide an estimate of the increasecosts of poor performance. Data can be collected and analyzed onindividual pieces of equipment, or agglomerated to providemanagement reports on a facility or multiple facility basis.

One of the first areas thought of in conserving energy is lighting.Indeed the amount of power needed for lighting can be optimizedby careful selection of types and amount of bulbs and fixtures. Mostrepositories use florescent lighting. While relatively efficient,florescent lighting power consumption can be minimized by usingthe smallest bulbs consistent with the amount of light needed. Forexample older T12 and T10 bulbs can be replaced with T8 and T6bulbs with efficient reflectors which direct the light to the neededspace. Bulb size is expressed in 1/8 inches of diameter, so a T12bulb is 1.5” in diameter and a T8 is 1.0” in diameter. The smallerthe diameter, the less energy consumed. These lamps have aservice life of the order of 20,000 hours if left on for > 3 hours at atime. Frequently turning the lamps off and on will shorten servicelife. The lamps do lose efficiency over time, typically only emitting

(Continued on page 11 - Energy Savings)



Energy Savings (Continued from Page 10)

50% of the light at burn out as when new. An advantage of florescentlights is that they are relatively inexpensive to purchase. It does requirerelatively high number of fixtures/lamps to light a repository, especiallyif the ceilings are high.

Repositories occupying high bay space frequently use metal halidelighting. A smaller number of fixtures/ bulbs are required to light arepository, consuming less total power. The bulbs do operate at veryhigh temperature, adding heat which must be removed by the HVACsystem. The service life of a metal halide bulb is on the order of 6,000– 15,000 hours. The output efficiency of the metal halide lamps doesdecrease with time. The bulbs must have a full cover, because theycan explode upon failure. It does require several minutes for thesebulbs to reach full output intensity after starting. They should not beused where frequent on/off switching is needed.

LED bulbs are becoming more common and offer significant efficienciesin terms of energy consumption and service life. At this point in timethey are still relatively expensive to purchase, and the light output forthe individual bulbs low compared to incandescent or florescent lighting.A “100 watt” incandescent bulb puts out about 1800 lumens (themeasure of light output), compared to about 800 lumens for most of theLED lamps currently the market. The light from an LED bulb is highlydirectional unless deliberately diffused, making in more useful for tasklighting than general illumination.

There are several ways to minimize the cost of lighting. As mentionedabove, older, larger, and less effective florescent bulbs can be replacedwith smaller bulbs with more efficient reflectors. Motion sensor switchesare available to turn off lights when areas are not occupied. Thesedevices are readily available and inexpensive. The frequent switchingof the typical florescent bulbs will cut the service life, but not enough tooffset the energy savings of not leaving the lights on. A passive way toimprove lighting in the repository, although not necessarily inexpensive,is to paint the ceiling a reflective white to better use all of the scatteredlight generated. Going from a typical gray ceiling to a white ceiling yieldsa significant change in the apparent brightness of an industrial space.The cost in time and material in replacing light bulbs can be quitesignificant and very awkward if the lights are over equipment or mountedon high ceiling or roof tops for outdoor light. One type of light fixturefrequently employed in Europe and becoming more common andavailable in the US is the induction light. The “filament-less” bulbs havelight output comparable to metal halide or halogen bulbs, are efficient,produce no heat, and have a service life of 65,000 – 100,000 hours.

Every action, even positive ones like saving electricity, has a cost. Allthe suggestions and ideas presented have a price. A return oninvestment (ROI) calculation should be made before any project isinitiated. Of the energy savings methods presented here, improving theefficiency of freezer and air conditioning units should yield the highestabsolute dollar savings and yield the greatest ROI and shortestpayback. Appropriate application of these technologies should produce10-15+% energy savings, with payback periods of 2-3 years. Lightingefficiency projects are attractive, but because the actual energyconsumption and associated cost are less, payback periods may be inthe 4-5 year range.

One method of addressing these issues is to engage an energy systemsintegrator who is product-agnostic and can evaluate systems andsuggest the most effective technologies (one example – TrustedSolutions Group, Washington, D.C. – www.tsg28.com). This type ofcompany may be able to provide a guarantee of some level of savings.

Phil [email protected](703) 989-2859

Get Involved...Join an ISBER

Working Group!www.isber.org/wg/

ISBER Working Groups are organizedaround imely, challenging issues relatingto biobanking. They are composed ofindividuals with expertise and experiencein the subject areas and who arecommitted to producing outcomes to the

discipline of biobanking.

Current Working Groups

n Automated Repositoriesn Biospecimen Sciencen Environmental Biospecimenn Hospital-Integrated

Biorepositoriesn Informaticsn Informed Consent Procedures for

the Collection of Biospecimensn International Repository Locatorn Pharma-Academian Rare Diseasesn Rights to and Control of Human

Tissue Samples

Contact information for ISBER WorkingGroup Organizers and complete details aboutissues currently being addressed by thesegroups is available on the ISBER Website. Ifyou are interested in getting involved with aWorking Group, please contact the Group’sOrganizer.

www.isber.org/wg/



The 4th ANRRC International Meetingto be held on October 17-19 in Korea

The 4th annual Asian Network of Research Resource Centers(ANRRC) international meeting will be held from Oct. 17th to 19th,2012 at the ShineVille Resort on Jeju Island, located southwest ofthe Korean peninsula. This meeting will feature plenary lectures,symposia, an ISBER workshop, poster sessions, exhibits and aChina-Korea joint seminar on hydro-biological resources. Thelectures will cover the current issues of biological resources(microbial, animal and plant resources, and the biobanking ofhuman-derived specimens), as well as the latest developments indata management, regulation updates and applications ofresources.

Asian countries have a diverse range of ecosystems with a vastvariety of plants and animals. There have been increased efforts bygovernments and the private sector to develop their own biologicalresources and establish bio-resource centers and human tissuebanks in Asian countries. To meet the growing need for cooperationand networking among Asian RRCs, the ANRRC was launched in2009 (http://www.anrrc.org). The inaugural meeting of the ANRRCwas held in Seoul, Korea, in 2009 with more than 300 people from12 countries. The second annual meeting was held at RIKEN,Tsukuba, Japan. In 2011, the IMCAS (Institute of Microbiology,Chinese Academy of Sciences) hosted the third ANRRC meetingand Pakistan joined as the 13th member country. At present, theANRRC has members from 83 institutes in 13 Asian countries. Thenetwork is continuing to expand its role via annual meetings,committee meetings, and cross-training programs for researchers.

Plenary lectures for the 4th ANRRC meeting will be given by Dr.Obata (Vice-President of ANRRC and Director of RIKENBioResource Center, Japan), Dr. Dong (Vice-President of ANRRCand Director of the State Key Lab of Microbial Resources, IMCAS,China), Dr. Sharma (Vice-Chancellor of CSK Himachal PradeshAgricultural University, India), Peter H. J. Riegman PhD, FRCPC (President of ESBB, Head of the Erasmus Medical Center tissue

bank, Netherlands), and Yeonhee Lee PhD (President of ANRRCand Director General of the Korea National Research ResourceCenter, Korea).

The speakers for the ‘Biobanking of Human Specimens’ sessioninclude directors of the largest tissue biobanks in China (Dr. Du),India (Dr. Gajiwala) and Pakistan (Dr. Lalani). Also, Chon BoonEng, PhD (Director of Tissue Repository, NUHS, Singapore) willgive a lecture about accreditation. The ISBER workshop on “Howto Start a Biobank: Designing and Maintaining a Tissue Repository”by William Grizzle, MD, PhD, and Katherine Sexton, MBA isscheduled on Oct. 18th. This 4-hour workshop will cover the ABCsof biobanking. Many Asian people are preparing to launchbiobanks/tissue banks and are looking for expert opinions. Theconvener of the ‘biobanking’ session, Dr. Tan (Director of SingheathTissue Repository, Singapore) said that the ISBER workshop willbe a great help for them and will attract ‘biobanking’ people morethan ever before.

The session 'National/regional networks of RRCs' will provide athorough overview of various Asian resource centers. Othersessions are “Data management and regulation,” “New methodsand applications,” and “China-Korea joint seminar on hydro-biological resources.”

Jeju, the venue of the 4th ANRRC International Meeting, is a

picturesque volcanic island that was designated as ‘BiosphereReserve,’ ‘World Heritage site,’ and a ‘World Geological Park’ byUNESCO. Scenic beaches, waterfalls, cliffs and caves cometogether in harmony in this beautiful landscape. Its subtropicalclimate and unique culture attract tourists from all over the world.The island is full of flora and fauna of both temperate and tropicalvarieties and its scenic beauty includes mountains and citrus fruitfarms. The ShineVille Resort, a large and fully equipped conferencecenter is located on the southeast side of Jeju Island, overlookingPyo-seon beach in Seogwipo.

We anticipate over 200 attendees to come from across Asia, and ofcourse some attendees from Australia, Europe, and North America.All participants are invited to the welcome reception on October17th. We extend a warm invitation to everyone to join this event andutilize a great opportunity to exchange ideas, build firm networksfor international collaboration, and explore Jeju Island.

For more information, please visit the meeting homepage:http://anrrc2012.knrrc.or.kr

Kyungsook Ahn, Ph.D.Secretariat of ANRRCManager of Department of Education & Research, KNRRC

Seongsan SunrisePeak

Mt. Halla

Seongeup FolkVillage

ShineVill Resort



ISBER Hospital-IntegratedBiorepositories Working Group (WG)

In 2010 the start-up of the ISBER Working Group (WG) on ClinicalBiobanking Representation was initiated. The WG on ClinicalBiobanking Representation (CBRWG) officially started with a kick-off meeting at the 2011 ISBER Annual Meeting in Arlington, USA.

It became apparent that the term ‘Clinical BiobankingRepresentation’ allows for different interpretations: e.g. a biobankthat only collects and emits biospecimens for clinical diagnostics ora biobank that operates within a (private) medical clinic. Therefore,the term as well as the definition and goals were revised to focuson biobanking integrated into a hospital setting. At the last CBRWGcall on November 04, 2011, the term ‘WG on Hospital-IntegratedBiorepositories’ was chosen to replace CBRWG, together with a firstdraft of the definition and goals. After further work on refining thesewe have come to publish this article on ‘Hospital-IntegratedBiorepositories’ (HIB), the definition and goals, together with anoverview of hot items in HIB, current activities, and the HIBmembership.

Hospital-Integrated Biorepositories, definitionA Hospital-Integrated Biorepository is a biorepository that collectsbiospecimens and accompanying data from patients for medicalresearch, using the diagnostic and curative pathway(s) of routinemedical care within a (university) hospital.

The term ‘Hospital-Integrated’ refers to the operational domain ofsuch a biobank; usually these biobanks are also physically situatedwithin a hospital department but this is not a necessity. Furthermore,HIBs may support either retrospective or prospective collections oreven both. Operational procedures, consent procedures, andfunding of individual HIBs may also vary. For instance, HIBs withprospective collections of (residual) material may be funded fromwithin the institute and use an opt-out consent (e.g. a Pathologytissue bank). HIBs that collect biospecimens for specific studies areoften funded as projects and use signed informed consentprocedures (e.g. extra drawn blood tubes for clinical trials).

As there are many different types of HIBs, they still share specificcommonalities related to biobanking in a hospital setting. Therefore,this WG provides a platform for all HIBs to share problems,procedures, innovations, etc., further defined in the goals and taskshereunder.

Goals and tasks of the ISBER WG HIBThe goals of this WG are as follows:

n identify the specific issues (such as problems, innovations, opinions) that hospital integrated biorepositories face

n notify the biorepository community of these issues n supply a platform to work and/or publish on these

issues.

These goals are worked out in several tasks. These tasks are heredescribed; however, it is noted that in time new tasks may emergefrom new input and further discussions in teleconferences, face-to-

face meetings, etc. Current tasks are:

n Keeping up with literature on biobanking, either specificallyon HIB, monitoring biobanking issues that may affect HIB practice, Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI), andhot topics

n Regular conference calls to discuss the current status of running tasks to work on HIB issues, bring in new issues, to discuss literature, etc.

n Develop surveys on HIB issues and distribute these to the ISBER community

n Publish the work of this WG HIB in scientific journals and present the work at the ISBER Annual Meeting

Many hot topics are of great concern for HIBs. Here, two examplesof such hot topics are elaborated: ‘return of results’ and ‘sharing ofbiospecimens’.

1. Return of results: Current common practice of most HIBs does not facilitate the return of results and/or raw data thatwere achieved on biospecimens issued by a HIB. The returnof results takes place at two levels: first the collection of results back from researchers and second to distribute theseresults further to the patients from whom the biospecimenswere collected. Aside from the discussion if this return of results is genuinely desirable at all, for HIBs ‘return of results’ at either one or both of these levels necessitate investments in extra time and efforts for education and agreements with researchers and physicians to facilitate safe storage and distribution of data.

2. Sharing of biospecimens: In principal, sharing of biospecimens allows not only for better research by meansof higher sample numbers (statistical power), but also for cooperation of researchers instead of competition. Biospecimens stored in HIBs (acquired diseases) are essential in shared research. However, many issues play arole in sharing of biospecimens, such as comparable samplequality, availability of biospecimen-related data, involvementof (multiple) stakeholders, differences in ELSI per state or country, etc. Different interests need to be settled before enabling the sharing of biospecimens.

Other hot topics and issues concerning HIB are listed below:

n Sustainability / Funding / Reimbursementsn Educationn Promotion / marketingn Cooperation from Stakeholders (e.g. clinicians,

pathologists, surgeons, internists)

n Diversity – ethics, sample usage, clinical / research specimens

n Integration within hospital procedures n Information Technology (electronic medical record

database usage and access, cost, release/access to private health info)

n Consent – work in collaboration with other WGsn QA/QCn Boundaries of accreditation – outsourcing services to

other hospital groups (clinical labs, etc), ISO 15189

n Input from all ISBER members to come

(Continued on page 14 - Working Groups)

ISBER Working Group NewsHere are highlights from just a few of the ISBER Working Groups. For more information on the Working Groups, please visit www.isber.org/wg/



Working Groups - (Continued from page 13)

Where appropriate or even needed, we aim for cooperation withother ISBER WGs. In this way, resources are best utilized andduplicate work diminished. All ISBER members associated with anyform of HIB can contact this WG to bring in their own HIB-relatedtopics. This can be an issue in biobanking procedures, ELSI,funding, etc., to share their opinion on a specific (hot) topic, or bringin an innovation that may be of interest to the HIB community.

WG HIB ActivitiesAs this WG has only recently (re-)started, most of the activities wereaimed at refining the term, goals and tasks, to publish these in theISBER newsletter (this article) and to set out a course of activitiesto come. One of the first upcoming activities will be the developmentand distribution of a survey on HIB in general. With the surveyresults we may identify more HIB related issues to work on. Our aimis also to publish the outcomes of this work as scientific papers.Another activity will be the development of a WG HIB platform thatis accessible for all ISBER members to post their specific HIBrelated issues and to find information on the WG HIB proceedings.

WG HIB membershipDuring the 2012 ISBER Annual Meeting in Vancouver there was agreat interest in the topic in general and also for joining as amember of the WG. As the current total member almost reaches50, we have chosen to stop the inflow of new members in order tokeep the current WG relatively small and flexible. We do have awaiting list so if you are still interested we can add you to this listand will contact you whenever current members have left thisWG.

Current members:Sofie Bekaert, Fay Betsou, Roger Bjugn, Marianna Bledsoe,Jane Carpenter, David Carpentieri, Bas de Jong (Chair),Annemieke De Wilde, Michel Depont, Rajiv Dhir, Eoin Gaffney,William Grizzle, Jens Habermann, Robert Hewitt, IsabelleHuys, Joseph Kessler, Zisis Kozlakidis, Dianna Larson, DavidLitwack, Manuel Morente, Alison Parry-Jones, Rebecca Pugh,Chana Rabiner, Rivka Ravid, Melissa Lynn Rawley-Payne,Peter Riegman (Vice Chair), Brent Schacter, StephenSchmechel, Patricia Shaw, Katheryn Shea, Daniel Simeon-Dubach, Elke Smits, Fokke Terpstra, Gerry Thomas, Henry J.van Amerongen, Frans A.L. Van Der Horst, Michiel Verlinden,Peter Watson.

Biospecimen Science WGMembers of the Biospecimen Science Working Group havemanuscripts pending publication: an article on cell viability; a reviewarticle on room temperature stability of RNA storage is with thepublications committee of ISBER; two SPREC IT tools have beendeveloped; and cryobiology Best Practices and SPREC adaptationsto stem cells are being prepared. The ISBER Proficiency TestingProgram was initiated by members of the BSWG. It is an active andsuccessful effort supervised by the Proficiency Testing AdvisoryGroup, in partnership with IBBL and reference lab members fromthe BSWG. Following on the success and lessons learned from thefirst year of the program, the PT Schemes for 2012-2013 includeDNA Quantification and Purity, RNA Integrity, Cell Viability, TissueHistology, and Tissue Antigenicity.

Environmental Biospecimens WGThe group is actively involved in promoting environmentalbiobanking at the 2013 ISBER Annual Meeting & Exhibits throughsuggestions of speakers, session topics, and workshops to the 2013Program Committee.

Informatics WGThe results from the survey of the ISBER membership will bepublished later this year. The group also expects to write aboutlegacy data conversion and to update their checklist.

Rights to & Control of Human TissueWGThe group has discussed publishing a white paper drafted by Dr.Ty Hoover in 2011 titled “Rights To and Control of Human TissueIntended for Research.” Discussion is ongoing in regards toupdating and reformatting the paper.

Rare Diseases WGPotential activities for the group include:

n Surveying pharma, biotech, and advocacy groups about data and/or specimens from patients diagnosed with rare diseases used in research;

n Compiling a network of pediatric providers that could be used as a possible source of samples and data;

n Publication of an article entitled “Biobanking for Rare Diseases: Challenges and Opportunities.”

International BiobankingSummit: Future Directions

September 19, 2012Uppsala, Sweden

Co-sponsored by ISBER

Registration Deadline: September 11, 2012

http://bbmri.se/en/Conferences/handsonbiobanks/Pre-conference/



Hot Topic # 1Freezer Failure or Operator Error?The #1 topic that really stirred the ISBER membership was an eventthat we all fear and try to protect our collections against: “Freezerfailure at brain bank hampers autism research”(http://articles.boston.com/2012-06-11/news/32177708_1_brain-bank-autism-research-freezer )

A freezer malfunction at McLean Hospital in Boston in late May 2012severely damaged one-third of the world’s largest collection ofautism (and other neurological conditions) brain samples, potentiallyseriously affecting research on these disorders by years. Somehow,this freezer shut down without triggering either of its two alarmsystems, and the failure was not found until three days later.Researchers thought they had done everything correctly to be ableto detect mechanical failure of the freezer, but their systemsapparently did not work properly to notify them of impendingdisaster.

Dr. Francine Benes, director of the Harvard Brain Tissue ResourceCenter, where the brains were housed, said: “The situation is sounusual - the perfect storm of alarm and thermostat failure and theconcentration of samples.”

Sympathetic ISBER members had a number of comments aboutthis disastrous event:

Helena Ellis ([email protected]), Director, Duke Biobankand the Duke Translational Research Institute noted:

“My impression is that the monitoring system did not fail. If thecontrol panel of the freezer continued to indicate that thetemperature inside the freezer was at the sent temperature (i.e. -79°C), then the alarm system would not be triggered.

This same situation happened once to me….the control panel of afreezer had an electrical ‘glitch’ – freezing the panel numbers intoan ‘OK’ condition – when, in fact, the temperature in the freezer wasrising.”

Chun-Hung Chan ([email protected]), SanfordHealth in Sioux Falls, SD added:

“Based on my reading, my impression is that the freezer thermostatwas reading incorrectly and that their external alarm system mayhave been based on a trigger from the internal freezer thermostatand therefore was not activated.

To avoid such a situation, we use an external monitoring systemwith NIST calibrated independent sensors so if there is an issue withthe internal sensor, it will still trigger an alarm in the event of a problem.”

Alexandra Lerch-Gaggl ([email protected]), Scientific Director,Pediatric BioBank & Analytical Tissue Core, Children'sResearch Institute at the Medical College of Wisconsin, stated:

“We use two independent systems for our monitoring of the -80°C

freezers.

One is an alarm that responds to the sound of the alarm of the unit,which might fail as well as in the case described, and we use afreezer unit/control panel-independent system, which uses aseparate temperature probe that we had to put into the freezers.”

Phil Baird ([email protected]), Consultant and coauthor ofa seminal paper on building large repositories, noted:

“It is not uncommon for a thermocouple or switch to go bad or“freeze” at a constant reading. For a mechanical freezer to hold anabsolute constant temperature is a sign of problems. The cyclicalnature of the compressor cooling (on/off) will allow the temperatureto vary fractionally.

My past recommendations have always been to have at least twoalarm systems for -80°C freezers. One alarm is part of the freezersystem. The second alarm system should utilize a differentthermocouple and be attached to a freezer monitoring system. Ifthe repository is connected to a building maintenance system orsecurity alarm system, it is easy to attach a thermocouple to singleset point switch set a few degrees above the freezer hightemperature set point. It is also wise to regularly check thethermocouples at the freezer to insure that all are operating andproducing similar reading. The more redundancy of thermal monitoring, the better.

Freezer monitoring systems have become ubiquitous. Prices, whilenot cheap, have come down and the flexibility and capabilities ofthe systems increased enormously. There is no reason nor ajustification for not employing one in a repository of any size whichstores irreplaceable material.

I agree with Dr. Thorpe about the preference for LN2 freezers. Thelower temperature is much more appropriate for tissue and cellstorage, and the safety factor greatly enhanced. A currentgeneration LN2 freezer has a hold time of close to a month whenfully charged. If you will remember the samples stored on the Gulfcoast when Hurricane Katrina struck, only the samples in LN2survived. All freezers fail at some point. Mechanical freezers failmuch more frequently, and the required response time is much,much less. For mechanical -80°C freezers, the recommendedquantity of spare freezers held at temperature is 5-10% of the totalfreezers.

Presentations made at the 2010 ISBER meeting in D.C. clearlydemonstrated the financial advantages of the LN2 (or VP-LN2)repository. While the initial investment may be a little higher, thelong term cost is significantly less. Where a -80°C freezertemperature is needed, Chart MVE now produces a freezer whichwill function at -80°C or at -190°C. There may be other similar equipment available.”

Sylvain Riendeau ([email protected]), President & CEO ofElpro Services, Inc. added to Phil’s comments:

“Monitoring of dry alarm contacts on ULT freezers or refrigerators isgood practice, along with independent Central Monitoring System(Data collection & alarming system) especially for Biorepository/Biobanking. Here’s the reason why:

Having a ‘Basic’ alarm system is a must, connecting to theequipment ‘Dry Alarm’ contacts is a very good start as it providesthe peace of mind should freezer go in an alarm state due to high

(Continued on page 16 - Hot Topics)

Hot Topics



Hot Topics - (Continued from page 15)

temperature (above -65°C) or power failure/ problem with electrical circuit breaker occurs (This power fail alarm will actually buy youprecious time, as the high alarm temperature (-65°C) is not reachedat this point). High temp alarm or power failure will cause freezercontact to close and generating a local alarm, also if dry alarmcontacts are connected this will alarm on-site security commandcenter and/or phone call to user(s). Now, if the freezer malfunctionssuch as in this case, then the Central Monitoring System (Datacollection & Alarming system) become the redundancy system,should the monitoring system independent temperature probereaches the high alarm set point (-65°C on a -80°C set point) thenalarms are automatically sent to command center/ e-mail/ phonecalls etc.. Note: (Equipment dry alarm contacts can easily bemonitored by your building alarm system provider). I stronglyrecommend periodically testing of alarms to ensure systems areoperating properly.”

Yes, CMS system can be costly but they provide a very good pieceof mind, in addition to monitoring the dry alarm contacts as aseparate system. This combination offers a very high level ofredundancy along with safeguard of samples stored.

Taking this topic of over-stressed freezers a little further, thisreminder came from the Four Seasons Environmental Companymaintenance contractors at the Centers for Disease Control &Prevention, who keep all of the CDC buildings humming, andprovide repair services for the nearly 1000 mechanical freezers atCDC’s 3 main Atlanta facilities. Although most specimens inbiorepositories may already be frozen when they are placed infreezers for long-term storage, many of our member biorepositoriesmay also have laboratory facilities connected to the storage areas.Their mechanical freezers may also be used to store largequantities of freshly-made reagents or multiple years’ worth ofquality control pool materials for long-term studies. Whendispensed, these materials are at ambient temperature or previouslyrefrigerated, at best. Placing large numbers of aliquoted vials atone time in a mechanical freezer can cause the freezer compressorto “crash” and be unable to keep up with the temperature differentialdemand as quickly as needed.

Four Seasons Environmental technicians David Weikel andHart Shepherd, and their supervisor, Wes Tarkington, noted:In recent months, the freezer shop has received requests to repairbroken freezers that have been inadvertently damaged due tooperator error. The damage often comes from improper loading ofproduct. We have explained to a few lab workers over time whytheir freezers kept breaking, but I feel it would be good to relay themessage to everyone we can. A basic rule of thumb is to load nomore than 1 shelf at a time of “warm product”. Warm product couldbe room temperature or even lower than that.

How can we tell that improper loading has caused them to crash?Please see the links to view the graphs referenced below:

See the graph for freezer A4. (www.isber.org/newsletters/documents/GraphA4.pdf) When a freezer crashed all on its own the graphstarts from set point and is followed by a slow upward drift overmany hours to room temperature.

See the graph for freezer C25. (www.isber.org/newsletters/documents/GraphC25.pdf) When a freezer crashed from having too much“warm product” in it, it will have a sharp spike upward from whenthey opened the door, followed by a drop in temp that never reachedset point, and finally a slow drift upward in temperature.

See the graph for freezer H1. (www.isber.org/newsletters/documents/GraphA4.pdf) When a freezer is properly loaded you will seea sharp spike upward from when they opened the door, followed bya pull down in temp that reaches set point and settles out.

The Revco Legaci™ Installation and Operation Manual for Chestand Upright Freezers (www.coleparmer.com/Assets/manual_pdfs/revco1.pdf) (Page 1, Section 3) explains how to properly load afreezer. It clearly states: WARNING! This unit is not a “rapid-freeze” device. Freezing large quantities of liquid, or high-water content items, will temporarily increase the chambertemperature and will cause the compressors to operate for aprolonged time period.

Review your freezer’s operating manual for instructions on freezingambient temperature materials in incremental steps. They maysuggest that if you have a -20°C walk-in freezer, you can place yourmaterials there for initial freezing before transferring themincrementally to your -70 to -80°C freezers.

Performing good basic technique like this is always invaluable tohelp us protect our biorepository resources. Thanks to the FourSeasons Environmental folks for reminding us what we should do!

Hot Topic # 2What is the Length of Time thatBiorepositories are Required toMaintain Collections?Lizzi Neylon, Biological Material Availability ProgramCoordinator of the Phoenix Children’s Hospital posed thissecond question for us:

CAP sets the standards for the clinical divisions on how long theyhave to hold original collection before discarding them. I’mwondering if CAP can consider working with the biobank industry inregards to those terms. For example, we ask and consent thetransfer of tissues from other institutions to our biobank. However,due to CAP’s standards these institutions aren’t allowed to releasethe original materials for at least two years.

Scott Jewell, a former ISBER president now at the Van AndelInstitute, replied:

I don’t see CAP’s Biorepository Accreditation Program dictating thelength of time that biorepositories will need to hold materials. That’soften project specific and of course the purpose of manybiorepositories is to hold material for an extended undefined periodof time. Since the guidelines are set by a peer group I don’t thinkthis would be an issue. CAP sets the time line for clinical surgicalspecimens as a protection for best practice for patient care. TheJoint Commission on Hospital Accreditation (JCAHO) sets holdingtimes for surgical samples by pathology as well so CAP isn’t theonly group that sets a time. The time lines are basically aconsensus of the pathologists who develop the checklists and I thinkthese time lines will become more important as personalized healthcare becomes more firmly established.

In my opinion, benefits of accreditation truly are in the eyes of thebeholder and may be dictated more by the function of thebiorepository. For example, we look at it as a measure of ourcommitment to quality and interest in translational research. It doestake some effort (and time and effort expense, at a minimum) to get



(Continued on page 17 - Hot Topics)Hot Topics - (Continued from page 16)

ready for the inspection, but hopefully it also serves to uncoveroperational weaknesses, so we feel we are better able to performour job as a biorepository by going through and maintaining theaccreditation. International Organization for Standardization [(ISO)9000] is other group that can provide a similar type of accreditationreview.

Bill Grizzle, MD, PhD, Director, Tissue Procurement andBanking Facility at the University of Alabma-Birmingham (aCAP pathology & laboratory inspector himself) and KathiSexton, Assistant Director, Tissue Collection and BankingFacility at UA-B, added:

We agree with Scott’s comments that it is unlikely that the new CAPrequirements for biorepositories will include any requirements as totimes of retention of research material.

The CAP requirements for the retention of paraffin blocks and slidespertain to diagnostic material. It is important for this material to beheld for extended periods to aid in patient care. For example, it isnot unusual that specific molecular markers or targets have to beanalyzed in prior material before patients can be eligible for specifictherapies. In the future, this is likely to become even more importantas the concept for personal or individualized medical care isexpanded. Here at UAB, because our TCBF assists with a numberof clinical protocols, we frequently must request aliquots (e.g. slides)from prior diagnostic blocks for evaluation for these protocols. Also,you may be interested to know that our Surgical Pathology here atUAB requires that blocks be maintained for 10 years before theywill be released to us for research. Of note, the CAP requirementsfor maintaining blocks and slides applies to material used indiagnosis, and does not apply to remnant material that wouldotherwise be discarded if it were not obtained for research. Thus,it is our interpretation that if your collaborating outside institutionsprocessed some of this remnant material to paraffin blocksspecifically for research, or froze this material for research, the CAPrequirements for holding the material would not apply.

We totally support the comments that research with human tissuesis vitally important to all aspects of medical care. Otherwise, mostadvances in modern medicine would not have occurred.

Congratulations to the

ISBER 2012 Poster Awardees!

Asterand-ISBER Biospecimen Science Poster Awards:HSR 18: Biospecimen Use and Emerging Techniques in CancerResearch, Ali Cole, BC Cancer Agency Vancouver Island Centre

HSR 12: Epstein-Barr Virus Transformed Human LymphoblastoidCell Lines: the Effect of Donor Age and Gender on TransformationEfficiency, Steven Turner, Genetic Repositories Australia

ISBER Biobanking Poster Awards:QAC 16: ISBER Proficiency Testing Program for Biorepositories,Francesca Poloni, Integrated BioBank of Luxembourg

RIF 17: Regular Expression Matching Algorithm (REMA) SimplifiesOperative Schedule Searchability for Prospective TissueProcurement, Miral Patel, Cooperative Human Tissue Network (ED),University of Pennsylvania

Save the Date!

ISBER 2013 AnnualMeeting & ExhibitsTurning the World Upside Down:

New Perspectives onBiorepositories

Sydney, AustraliaMay 5-9, 2013

www.isber.org/2013Call for Workshop Proposals The E&T Committee would like to extend an invitationto ISBER members to organize a topic-driven workshopto be held during the ISBER Annual Meeting. Theseworkshops will be educational in nature, informingmeeting attendees about specific types of biorepositoryactivities. These are different from the corporateworkshops which afford sponsors an opportunity tofeature their own products and services. The topic-driven workshops should support ISBER’s Vision andMission. If you are interested in leading a workshopduring the 2013 Annual Meeting, please download theWorkshop Proposal Submission form available at:

www.isber.org/2013The deadline for submitting proposals is

September 10, 2012

Jane Carpenter and Brent Schacter2013 Program Committee Co-Chairs



ISBER 2012 Annual Meeting Photo ContestThank you to everyone who participated in the ISBER Annual Meeting Photo Contest.

Honorable MentionSubmitted by Kathy Sexton

1st Place PhotoSubmitted by Shawn Einerson

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Photo Credits: 1 - Daniel Simeon-Dubach; 2 - Bas de Jong; 3 - Daniel Simeon-Dubach; 4 - Kathy Sexton; 5 - Bas de Jong; 6 - Marianne Henderson; 7 - Fay Betsou; 8 - Marianne Henderson; 9 - Lianhai Zhang; 10 - Lianhai Zhang; 11 - Shawn Einerson; 12 - Elaine Gunter; 13 - Caroline Larson

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NEW EDITION!Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) for

ISBER Best PracticesISBER has created this online Self-Assessment Tool(SAT) to assist repository operators in determining howwell their repository follows the ISBER Best Practicesfor Repositories. The assessment is confidential andaimed at helping specimen collection centers strengthentheir practices through the identification of areas in needof improvement.

Ø Available FREE to ISBER Members

Ø Sections corresponding to sections of newly

released 3rd Edition of ISBER Best Practices for RepositoriesØ Assessment can be completed in

approximately one hour

Ø Online for your convenience

Ø Personalized feedback for your repository

Ø Results are completely confidential

Ø Participants receive a “risk-balanced

assessment score” that will help you to

evaluate how well your current practices

conform to the ISBER best practices.

Evaluate your repository operation online today!Evaluate your repository operation online today!

www.isber.org

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL REPOSITORIESINTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL REPOSITORIES

International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories

A Division of the American Society for Investigative Pathology

9650 Rockville PikeBethesda, MD 20814 (USA)

Tel: +1 301 634 7949; Fax: +1 301 634 7990Email: [email protected]

www.isber.org

PROFICIENCY TESTING PROGRAMPROFICIENCY TESTING PROGRAM

Ensure Your Sample CharacterizationResults with the ISBER BiorepositoryProficiency Testing Program!Available in September 2012!

n Cell Viabilityn DNA Quantification and Purityn RNA Integrityn Tissue Antigenicityn Tissue Histology

The ISBER Biorepository Proficiency Testing Program allows biorepositories to assess the accuracy of their qualitycontrol assays and their biospecimen characterization andto compare results with other laboratories around the world.Proficiency testing is the best means of evaluating andmaintaining the accuracy of your laboratory’s results!

Participants may register for more than one Scheme, andmay test more than one method per Scheme (depending onthe scheme). The price per Scheme includes one method of testing. Additional methods of testing can be purchased separately. ISBER Members receive a 20% discount.

NEW!

NEW!

SchemesMember Price*

(USD)Non-Member Price (USD)

Additional Methodof Testing Price

(USD)**

Cell Viability $480 $600 $50/method

DNA Quantification and Purity $400 $500 $50/method

RNA Integrity $480 $600 $50/method

Tissue Antigenicity $400 $500 Not applicable

Tissue Histology $400 $500 Not applicable

2012 Scheme Pricing

NEW!

For pricing and full program details visit:

www.isber.org/PT

* ISBER member price includes a 20% discount.** One method per scheme is included in the base price. Additional methods can be ordered

depending on the scheme.

Note: Credit card payments are processed through the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP)and your credit card invoice will reflect this.Complete the Application and Fax/Mail with your Membership Dues Payment to: ISBER, 9650 Rockville Pike, Suite E133, Bethesda, MD, 20814-3993 (USA); Tel: +1 301 634-7949, Fax: +1 301 634-7990,Email: [email protected]

I N T E R N AT I O N A L S O C I E T Y F O R B I O L O G I C A L A N D E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E P O S I TO R I E S

2012 ISBER Individual Membership ApplicationIndividual Members are involved in resource management and/or haveinterests related to the operation of biological or environmentalrepositories, and may be employees of Organizational Members.Individual members are eligible to vote and hold office. (Individual membervote counts as one vote) Individual Members are ISBER Affiliate Membersof the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP).

General Information, Check all that applyq Have material stored by othersq Individual interested in repository operationq Repository operatorq Repository sponsorq Store biologicalsq Store environmental samplesq Store materials for othersq Store other materialsq Store own materialsq Supplier to repositoriesq Utilize/purchase material from repositories

Type of Repository, Check all that applyq Animal Specimen Repositoryq Environmental Repositoryq Human Specimen Repositoryq Microorganism Culture Collectionq Museum Repositoryq Plant/Seed Repositoryq Other_________________________

Interest Groups, Check all that applyq Cell/Cultureq Cryogenics/Cell Preservationq Legal and Ethical Issuesq Non-Human Specimensq Repository Automation Technologiesq Repository Information Systems

How did you learn about ISBER?__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Referred by (Optional):

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

2012 Membership (Annual) Dues:q Individual $190.00 (US) -Individual with an interest in repository management, eligible to vote and hold office.

q Upgrade subscription to Biopreservation and Biobanking to include print version $125.00 (US)

Name____________________________________________________

Title_____________________________________________________

Institution_________________________________________________

Department_______________________________________________

Address__________________________________________________

City_____________________________________________________

State/Province_____________________________________________

Zip/Postal Code____________________________________________

Country__________________________________________________

Tel______________________________________________________

Fax_____________________________________________________

Email____________________________________________________

Payment:q Check enclosed (made payable to ISBER) q Charge my credit card:q VISA q MasterCard q American Express

Credit Card #______________________________________________

Exp. Date_________________________________________________

Card Holder Name_________________________________________

Signature________________________________________________

Billing Address:

Name___________________________________________________

Title_____________________________________________________

Institution________________________________________________

Address_________________________________________________

City_____________________________________________________

State/Province_____________________________________________

Zip/Postal Code____________________________________________

Country__________________________________________________

Tel______________________________________________________

Email____________________________________________________

REFER

Get Rewarded for Referring ISBER New Members!Help us to promote ISBER by inviting your colleagues to apply for membership, and receive a $10.00 gift card to the Amazon.com site of your choosing! Foreach NEW Member recruited by a current ISBER member before September 1, 2012, the current member will receive a $10 gift card (no limit to the number

of rewards you can earn!) Use the applications on the following pages or visit: www.isber.org/membership/refer.cfm for more information!


2012 ISBER Organizational Membership Application

Organizational Members are organizations and vendors fromgovernment, academia, and industry that manage repositories andprovide services and products for specimen collection and repositorymanagement. Organizational members designate one OfficialDelegate to represent the organization/company as well as AlternateDelegates as follows:

Small Organization: One Alternate DelegateMedium Organization: Three Alternate DelegatesLarge Organization: Five Alternate Delegates

2012 Membership Dues (Annual):

q Organizational Membership

q Large Organization (> 50 Employees) $1,437 (US)q Medium Organization (11-50 Employees) $788 (US)q Small Organization (< 11 Employees) $414 (US)

Dues include one year online subscription to Biopreservation andBiobanking for Delegates

q Upgrade subscription to Biopreservation and Biobanking to include print version - $125.00 (US)

q Additional online subscriptions to Biopreservation and Biobanking - $95.00/subscription* (US)

q Additional subscriptions to ISBER Listserv - $90.00 (US) per person*

q Global Expansion Fund Contribution (tax-deductible)________

TOTAL PAYMENT $ _________

Organization Information

Institution/Company____________________________________

____________________________________________________

Dept.________________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________

City__________________________________State___________

Zip____________________Country________________________

Tel___________________________________________________

Fax_________________________________________________

Email_________________________________________________

Description of Institution or Organization’s repository activity:

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Number of employees: __________________________________

Website: ____________________________________________

Complete the Application and Fax/Mail all pages with your Membership Dues Payment to:ISBER, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3993 (USA)

Tel: (301) 634-7949, Fax: (301) 634-7990, Email: [email protected], Web site: www.isber.org

Billing Address:

Name_______________________________________________________ Title__________________________________________________________

Institution_______________________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________

City______________________________________________________________ State/Province_____________________________________________

Zip/Postal Code____________________________________________ Country________________________________________________________

Tel______________________________________________________ Email____________________________________________________________

Payment:q Check enclosed (made payable to ISBER) -or- q Charge my credit card: q VISA q MasterCard q American Express

Credit Card #____________________________________________________ Exp. Date_________________________________________________

Card Holder Name________________________________________________ Signature________________________________________________

Note: Credit card payments are processed through the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP). Your credit card invoice will reflect this.*Attach separate list of names/addresses to receive subscription(s) to Biopreservation and Biobanking or ISBER listserv

PAGE 1 of 2; Applications cannot be processed without both pages REFER


2012 ISBER Organizational Membership ApplicationOrganizational members designate 1 Official Delegate to representthe organization/company as well as Alternate Delegates as follows:

• Small Organization: One Alternate Delegate• Medium Organization: Three Alternate Delegates• Large Organization: Five Alternate Delegates

Official Delegate:

Name/Degree_____________________________________________

Title_____________________________________________________

Tel____________________________Fax_______________________

Email____________________________________________________

Alternate Delegate 1:

Name/Degree_____________________________________________

Title_____________________________________________________

Tel_____________________________Fax______________________

Email____________________________________________________


Name/Degree_____________________________________________

Title_____________________________________________________

Tel_____________________________Fax______________________

Email____________________________________________________


Name/Degree_____________________________________________

Title_____________________________________________________

Tel_____________________________Fax______________________

Email____________________________________________________


Name/Degree_____________________________________________

Title_____________________________________________________

Tel_____________________________Fax______________________

Email____________________________________________________


Name/Degree_____________________________________________

Title_____________________________________________________

Tel_____________________________Fax______________________

Email____________________________________________________

General Information, Check all that applyq Have material stored by othersq Individual interested in repository operationq Repository operatorq Repository sponsorq Store biologicalsq Store environmental samplesq Store materials for othersq Store other materialsq Store own materialsq Supplier to repositoriesq Utilize/purchase material from repositories

Type of Repository, Check all that applyq Animal Specimen Repositoryq Environmental Repositoryq Human Specimen Repositoryq Microorganism Culture Collectionq Museum Repositoryq Plant/Seed Repositoryq Other__________________________________

Interest Groups, Check all that applyq Cell/Cultureq Cryogenics/Cell Preservationq Legal and Ethical Issues q Non-Human Specimensq Repository Automation Technologiesq Repository Information Systems

How did you learn about ISBER?____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Referred by (Optional):

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Complete the Application and Fax/Mail both pageswith your Membership Dues Payment to:

ISBER9650 Rockville Pike, E133

Bethesda, MD 20814-3993 (USA)

Tel: +1 (301) 634-7949; Fax: +1 (301) 634-7990Email: [email protected]; Web site: www.isber.org

PAGE 2 of 2; Applications cannot be processed without both pages REFER

Documents

Message From the President Inside This Issue · Message From the President It is an honor and privilege to serve you as the President of our Society. I have been an active member