BBMRI.nl
Biobanking and Biomolecular Research Infrastructure - The Netherlands
The quality and success of health research & innovation critically depends on the availability of highly enriched collections of human samples (e.g., tissue, blood, urine, feces, extracted DNA), health and phenotype data, and images (e.g., CT, and microscopy). Dutch medical sciences are world class and represent the largest field with >10.000 researchers active in the Netherlands. The core mission of BBMRI.nl is providing an effective infrastructure that is compliant by design with legal and ethical conditions and that makes high-quality samples, data and images Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) for research, and with participation of researchers, donors and citizens.
Infrastructure and User Services
BBMRI.nl facilitates the harmonized collection and sharing of biomaterials, images, and associated data for research and innovation by focusing on three main activities:
- Promoting innovation and harmonization by developing and implementing procedures, guidelines, and standards for biomaterial, image, and associated data collections based on evidence and (inter)national alignment
- Providing support by (co-) developing, implementing, advertising, and supporting services that enable the finding and sharing of biomaterials, images, and associated data
- Distributing knowledge with added value for the biobanks and collections community via websites, contribution to current discussions, and gatherings of the community, such as the annual Biobanks Day
To prove this support, BBMRI.nl aligns with the national agenda of Health-RI and the European agenda of BBMRI-ERIC:
- Nationally, BBMRI.nl takes responsibility for the onboarding of biobank collections – both clinical and population-based – towards the national health and life sciences data infrastructure and the upcoming European Health Data Space (EHDS) and European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).
- In Europe, BBMRI.nl contributes to the recently launched 10-Year Roadmap of BBMRI-ERIC entitled “Biobanking for a Healthier World”, in which the head quarter and the national nodes co-create towards 8 strategic objectives and 30 operational goals (of which at least 12 with involvement by the Netherlands).
Examples/description of the type of research
BBMRI.nl facilitates research based on collections (biobanks) of human samples, health phenotype data, and images across various disciplines, primarily in the life sciences and in medicine, such as oncology, rare disease, neurology, cardiology, and inflammatory and infectious diseases, lifestyle-related disease, autoimmune disorders, mental health, and reproductive health. These research studies aim to better understand genetic, metabolomics, proteomic and environmental factors that influence health and disease, often with the goal of improving diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies. For example, the services provided by BBMRI.nl are of critical importance for the contribution of the Netherlands to the EU mission on Cancer, aiming to improve the lives of European citizens through prevention and cure, and to enable those, affected by cancer including their families, to live longer and better.
Next to research based on clinical collections, BBMRI.nl supports large, longitudinal cohort studies on population health and 'one health' studies on the interconnection of human, animal, and environmental health.
How to access the infrastructure?
The access forms differ between the services provided by BBMRI.nl:
- Promoting innovation and harmonization – guidelines, standards, and recommendations are freely shared
- Providing support by through services – samples and data are shared based on scientific and ethics review
- Distributing knowledge – information and gatherings, including the Biobanks Day, are freely accessible