Eight representatives from UP Mindanao attended the recently conducted system-wide Biobank Summit, held on December 12-13, 2024, at the Institute of Biology, UP Diliman.
The representatives were (left-right in the above photo) Associate Professor Joel Hassan Tolentino, chair of the UP Mindanao Biobank Committee, Assistant Prof. Aaron Froilan Raganas, Atty. Charmaine Valentin, Assoc. Prof. Dann Marie del Mundo, Prof. Aleyla E. de Cadiz, Atty. Marvin Doods de Castro, Prof. Cleto L. Nañola, Jr., and Asst. Prof. Vic Calag.
A core issue tackled by the attendees was the refinement of the definition of “Biobanking.” This was to clarify the applicability of current laws on the varied activities of laboratories.
This need for clarification was attributed to the practice of institutions that collect and store genetic data but do not contemplate themselves as falling under medical research, to which “biobanking” is currently aligned.
The Summit also allowed for the presentation of current biobanking endeavors in the UP System, ranging from Human Biobanking, Microbial Banking, Natural Product Biobanking, and Museum Biobanking.
The attendees also conducted discussions on future directions of biobanking in the UP System, identifying funding as a major roadblock. Issues in the ethical and legal aspects of biobanking were explored as well. Prospects for lobbying, both within the UP system and the Congress, were seen as avenues to echo demands to address the concerns mentioned.
The Summit activities were complemented with an introductory training on the basics of human biobanking by Dr. Michael Velarde, UP Institute of Biology professor and PGC Biobanking Core Facility director, held on December 16, 2024, via Zoom.
The above photo shows the attendees of the UP Biobank Summit 2024.