Minister Harney Publishes the Report of the Expert Group on Biobanking in Ireland
14 May 2009
The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD, today (Thursday 14 May, 2009) published the Report of the Expert Group on Biobanking, which contains recommendations for the establishment of a National Cancer Biobank in Ireland. A biobank is a collection of patient samples and related information, and is an essential tool in the advancement of medical research.
As part of the implementation of the National Cancer Strategy, in 2007, the Minister nominated members for an Expert Group to develop proposals for the establishment of a National Cancer Biobank. Professor Bernadette Herity, Emeritus Professor of Public Health Medicine and Epidemiology at University College Dublin (UCD), and a former Board Member of the Health Research Board (HRB), was invited to convene and chair a group of national and international experts, which would produce recommendations for a National Cancer Biobank and report directly to the Minister. The group was hosted by the HRB.
