Brazil’s Ministry of Health has established the Brazilian Biobank Network (RBBMS). The initiative will bring together public and private biobanks across the country and expand opportunities for strategic research in support of the Unified Health System (SUS), according to the government website of the republic.
Biobanks are responsible for organising, storing and managing human biological materials, including tissues and blood, as well as related data used for scientific research. Such centres operate in all regions of Brazil.
The Ministry plans to strengthen cooperation between these facilities, establish knowledge exchange and promote the sharing of best practices, while encouraging joint and multicentre research projects. The network is expected to provide scientific data for medical studies and improve the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment within the public healthcare system.
Participation in the network is voluntary. It is open to 108 biobanks established and approved by the National Human Research Ethics System (Sinep).
The network will be managed by the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation in Health (SCTIE/MS), which will provide technical support. The administrative autonomy of participating institutions will remain unchanged. A consultative and advisory steering committee will be established to support the network’s activities, including representatives of SCTIE/MS, RBBMS participants, the scientific community and civil society.
Planned measures include specialist training, knowledge and best practice exchange, the development of technical documents and guidelines, support for scientific and technological cooperation, and joint or multicentre research projects.
Biobanks collect, store and provide human biological materials and related data for scientific research. These materials can be used in various studies over time, including new analyses that were not planned when the samples were collected. This is possible when consent requirements and ethical, legal, institutional and regulatory standards are followed.