On June 3, 2025, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the large research infrastructure BBMRI.cz (coordinated by the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute) and the Alliance of Women with Breast Cancer, o.p.s. (Alliance of patient organizations). As part of this cooperation, educational seminars, educational materials, excursions, and popular science articles are planned with the aim of increasing awareness of biobanks and biobanking not only among cancer patients but also among the general public.
I believe that every donor of biological material would like to know what biobanking is, how samples from biobanks are used, and what discoveries or research have been made possible thanks to them. It is precisely this increase in awareness of biobanking among patients that can lead to greater active involvement of patients in scientific research projects (e.g., Citizen Science projects)," comments Štěpánka Pokorná, director of the Alliance of Women with Breast Cancer, o.p.s.
The Alliance of Women with Breast Cancer, o.p.s. encompasses 39 patient organizations. It serves as an information and education center for the public, cancer patients, and their organizations. At the same time, it provides methodological assistance to cancer patient organizations and coordinates projects and campaigns for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
"The cornerstone of this collaboration is to familiarize patients and the public with biobanking, the role of biobanks as a source of high-quality material and associated data. Trust and awareness among donors are key to the collection of biological material. Comprehensive and understandable education can help prevent uncertainties arising from the long-term archiving of samples from the human body," says Roman Hrstka, national coordinator of BBMRI.cz and executive director of the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute's Biological Material Bank.
BBMRI.cz - the Czech Biobank Network, is a large research infrastructure established by the Czech Republic. It has eight members, led by the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute. It focuses on the collection, processing, and long-term monitored archiving of biological material and associated data. Its main goal is to provide high-quality biological material and data for scientific and research purposes, thereby accelerating the application potential of various scientific fields.
"We greatly appreciate this cooperative relationship between the research organization and us, the alliance of patient organizations. Thanks to this, we can provide our patients with information using high-quality and up-to-date materials," concludes Štěpánka Pokorná.
The recently established Slovak national node, coordinated by the Biobank for Cancer and Rare Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University in Martin, welcomed experts from BBMRI.cz – the Czech Biobank Network.
The prestigious Forbes magazine published an interesting article about a new method of early detection of pancreatic cancer, developed by Prof. Holčapek's team from the University of Pardubice, and the start-up Lipidica took this method under its wing. The company has now been granted a US patent.
