On 12 February last in Bilbao, the BIO Foundation (BIOEF), part of the Basque Government Health Department, presented the Basque Research BioBank O+Ehun: a basic instrument for the development of biosciences in the Basque Country, which has been created to guarantee the ethical, legal and technical quality of research which uses biological samples.

BioBanks are responsible for collecting, storing and distributing biological samples which, when processed, can prove vital to the advance of scientific knowledge about many diseases that have complex and multifaceted origins. These biological samples include tumour cells, DNA and tissue from the brain and other organs, which researchers can use to develop biomarkers and therapeutic targets, among other research products.

The Basque Research BioBank (O+Ehun) has a network structure, with the participation of the six big public hospitals in the Basque Country (Cruces, Donostia, Basurto, Galdakao, Txagorritxu and Santiago Apóstol), the Basque Centre for Transfusions and Human Tissues of the Basque Health Service Osakidetza and two private healthcare centres: the Oncology Institute of San Sebastián, and the Gipuzkoa Polyclinic. At each point of the BioBank, the biological samples are collected, processed and stored, and then coordinated on an IT platform under the management of the BIO Foundation. This body acts as the central node and is in charge of management of the samples, coordination of procedures and maintenance of quality levels, as well working with other centres at State level and abroad.

The BioBanks, which are regulated by the Biomedical Research Act 2007, the Patient Rights Act and the Data Protection Act, have become essential tools in the business side of the bioscience sector. The advance of this area is based on knowledge, and requires the results of this research for the manufacture of innovative products, in order to give it a competitive edge in the market.