STRONG LINEUP AT EUROPE BIOBANK WEEK – OPENING BY MINISTER DE BLOCK AND STATE SECRETARY DE BACKER

The organisers of Europe Biobank Week are pleased to announce that Dr. Maggie De Block, Belgian Federal Minister of Social Affairs and Health, and Dr. Philippe De Backer, Secretary of State for Social Fraud, Privacy and the North Sea, will be opening the conference on September 5th.

Given Dr. De Block’s medical background and great expertise as Minister of Social Affairs and Health, we believe that her view on the future of biobanks in the changing world of health care will be of high interest to the 500+ delegates.  Dr. De Block has shown her dedication to the biobank community by supporting the Belgian Virtual Tumorbank and by appointing the National Node Director of BBMRI.be. Her continuous efforts regarding the sustainable implementation of the regulatory framework on human body material and biobanking, in particular, are highly appreciated.

Dr. De Backer, whose area of expertise is the new General Data Protection Regulation, will share his view on the implementation of this new regulation in the biobanking field. Dr. De Backer has demonstrated an exceptional capacity to build and reinforce capabilities towards innovation both in his previous function as Member of the European Parliament and his current position as State Secretary for the Fight against Social Fraud, Privacy and the North Sea, which is also key in the current biobank environment.

Since 2016, Europe Biobank Week has provided an opportunity for the biobanking community, industry and stakeholders to come together to discuss pressing issues in biobanking that are relevant in Europe. This year, we are expecting more than 600 delegates from all EU countries to debate the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation, the development of ethical and legal relationships with patients and citizens donating samples, the future of EU research policy, and much more.

More information on the conference and how to register is available here.