About BBMRI.cz
BBMRI.cz is a Czech National Node of European biobank infrastructure BBMRI-ERIC and it has been founded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
In 2000, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute (MMCI) formally instituted a biobanking unit spanning its two departments, the Department of Pathology and Department of Experimental and Clinical Biochemistry, and started to support it with institutional funding. This activity was complemented by the hospital-integrated IT bank of biological material (BBM) module linking clinical and laboratory data to biobanking aliquots in 2004. Since 2010 was at MMCI initiated a project called “Bank of Clinical Specimens focused on cancer" (BBMRI.cz).
The aims of Czech BBMRI infrastructure is to operate a network of medical research biobanks that preserve biological samples from cancer patients in a long-term manner under secured, standardized and accredited conditions – unless done, such material will be permanently lost for future biological and medical research.
The goal of BBMRI.cz is to create a network of biobanks in the Czech Republic under the supervision of MMCI, which will store patients biological samples in a long-term way in standardized and approved conditions. To ensure the quality of biological samples, the biobank monitoring system is also discussed. Transfer of the samples to the biobank needs to be escorted by extraction of data from the hospital information systems and this data must be stored in a central index serving mainly for sample searching. Since the data from BBMRI.cz is solely for research purposes, it is necessary to anonymize the data before it is included in the central BBMRI.cz index. Biobank managers can then provide samples of interest to registered researchers searching for samples through the index. An important part of this project is the development of an information system which will allow interoperability of the BBMRI.cz with other European biobanks.
“I am proud to be part of BBMRI-CZ, one of the most successful Czech large research infrastructures, providing ever-expanding high quality services to researchers at both national and international level.”
Roman Hrstka
BBMRI.cz Director
“I am glad to participate on facilitation and mediation BBMRI.cz among scientists and can be part of medical research.”
Eva Růčková
Biobank Coordinator
“I believe that IT services offered by BBMRI-ERIC to biobankers can simplify their biobanking lives and help researchers to get the right material for experiments.”
Zdenka Dudová
BBMRI.cz It Director
“I am delighted helping with acceleration of diagnostics development and personalized medicine due to unique samples, data and know-how provided by BBMRI network .”
Kateřina Nováková
Communication Manager and External Relations
“It is great to be at the formation of Biobank network BBMRI.cz and observe its progressive development.”
Kristína Greplová
Biobank Coordinator

CONCEPT OF BBMRI.cz
Aims of this infrastructure are to operate a network of medical research biobanks that preserve biological samples from healty persons as well as from cancer patients in a long-term manner under secured, standardized and accredited conditions.

SPECIMEN/DATA COLLECTION
We are focused on meaningful translational research usable for the benefit of the community plus meaningful, high-quality and reproducible basic research to come up with concepts testable in “translational and clinical” research area.

THE COMMUNITY