Biobank Łukasiewicz – PORT awarded the BBMRI-ERIC Quality Label

“Receiving the Quality Label is a very important step for our Biobank in establishing its position, not only in Poland, but also in the wider European biobanking landscape.”

Biobank Łukasiewicz – PORT, located in the Łukasiewicz Research Network – PORT Polish Center for Technology Development institute in Wrocław, has been awarded a BBMRI-ERIC Quality Label.

The award followed an on-site audit conducted by BBMRI.pl lead auditor Patrycja Sitek and her team. This was supplemented by a final remote audit and interview performed by Andrea Wutte, BBMRI Head of Quality Management and Maike Tauchert, Quality Manager.

The Biobank is led by Patrycja Gazinska, Senior Leader, and forms the core of the Biobank Research Group at Łukasiewicz – PORT. It also acts as the BBMRI.pl National Node.

A journey to demonstrate quality

The road to achieve the Quality Label started in 2017 when the Biobank team began to design and implement a quality management system based on ISO 20387:2018. In the following years, the team performed the BBMRI-ERIC Self-Assessment Survey and successfully completed a three-step auditing programme within the BBMRI.pl project. This resulted in a certificate demonstrating compliance with “Quality Standards for Polish Biobanks” (Polish “Standardy Jakości dla Biobanków Polskich”) ver. 2.0.

Achieving the BBMRI Quality Label validates years of consistent work by biobank team members who have been dedicated to meeting the QMS requirements.  This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland.

Monika Jarych-Szyszka, PhD, Quality Manager in Łukasiewicz – PORT said:

“Receiving the Quality Label commits us to both keep our current standards of quality and further improve our quality systems. It improves our value and credibility as a biobank. As an organisation, we recognise that quality management is important and worth investment to work efficiently and at the highest standards to maintain the professional integrity of our activities.”

Patrycja Gazinska, PhD, Senior Leader for the Biobank Research Group said:

“Receiving the Quality Label is a very important step for our Biobank in establishing its position, not only in Poland, but also in the wider European biobanking landscape. Our aim is to expand the biobank portfolio in the coming years to match the needs of scientists worldwide with collections and technologies adequate to current research needs.

“Having confirmed our strong foundations in quality systems, implemented in everyday functions, we will be able to build a strong biobank for the future.” 

Building connections

The Biobank Research Group has a close scientific collaboration in cancer research with King’s College Londonand the Institute of Cancer Research, UK as well as several Polish academic and clinical groups. The Biobank also joined the Horizon Europe EUCAIM “EUropean Federation for CAncer Images” initiative. This is an EU project that aims to build a secure large-scale European cancer imaging platform with capabilities that will advance the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in oncology.

Patrycja Gazinska said:

“Our activities in scientific research and in EUCAIM will be also strongly driven by what we have learned through the process of achieving the BBMRI-ERIC Quality Label, with commitment to the highest standards of quality. We trust that this will ultimately lead to the greater benefit of patients.”

Effective quality management is a joint effort and the photos depict both biobank and quality management teams who worked towards the Biobank’s success. Patrycja Gazinska highlighted special thanks to the support of Biobank Manager Magdalena Grodecka (PhD) and National Node Biobanking Co-ordinator for BBMRI.pl Michal Malewicz (PhD).