Experts Speak Forum: Decarbonization for Green Biobanking—The Current Landscape and Challenges for the Future
This article provides an update on the current state of decarbonization efforts in biobanking, reflecting on the evolving discussions at the annual meetings of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER). Following roundtable discussions at the 2021 and 2023 meetings, the 2024 ISBER meeting, which was held in Melbourne, Australia, featured a symposium, workshop, and posters dedicated to decarbonization, highlighting its growing significance on a global scale. The introduction of the term "green biobanking" at this meeting marked a pivotal moment, revealing that current decarbonization efforts in biobanking are largely piecemeal and lack a comprehensive, strategic approach. The goal of this article is to clarify the concept of green biobanking and update the community on the latest developments, while carefully outlining potential pathways for future innovation without pressuring biobankers to adopt existing technologies. The discussion includes insights from experts across various sectors. These include experts from the World Health Organization, biobanks in high-income countries, and low- and middle-income countries, as well as from the Canadian academia, preservation technology, industry, artificial intelligence, and education sectors. The authors emphasize the need for collaboration among all stakeholders to drive the field forward through creative disruption and pave the way for a sustainable future in biobanking.
Authors
- Neil Fleshner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7407-7463)
- Jérôme Baudry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1969-1679)
- Birendra Kumar Yadav (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3327-0763)
- Heidi Wagner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5992-9979)
- Marius Ilié (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2014-1236)
- Koh Furuta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6947-0874)
- Élodie Long-Mira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1923-6713)
- Wayne Ng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9438-8055)
- Armin Ahmadi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0889-0127)
- Gregory Grossman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1511-7028)
- Zisis Kozlakidis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3836-7209)
- Samuel Y. Pang
- Jajah Fachiroh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2650-1941)
- Hanh Vu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7991-7801)
- Ryo Shirakashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9265-8058)
- Vineetha Menon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6916-5346)
- Paul M Hofman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0431-9353)
- Tiiu Sildva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1121-1466)
- Lee Organick
- Naghmeh Rastegar
- Daniel Adamek
Institutions
- Universitas Gadjah Mada (ID)
- Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VN)
- Cancer Council Victoria (AU)
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (CA)
- Vinmec Times City International Hospital (VN)
- Victorian Cancer Biobank (AU)
- Center for Advancing Health (US)
- ID-FISH Technology (United States) (US)
- Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center (JP)
- Cognition Behaviour Technology (FR)
- Universidad San Carlos (PY)
- Centre international de recherche sur le cancer (FR)
- Public Health Foundation of India (IN)
- The University of Tokyo (JP)
- University of Alabama in Huntsville (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biopreservation and Biobanking
- Published
- 2025-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1089/bio.2024.0128
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 12.52