University of Cyprus biobank participating in European consortium

The biobank.cy Center of Excellence in Biobanking and Biomedical Research of the University of Cyprus is participating in the European Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI) consortium.

According to a press release issued by the University, the European Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI) consortium has expanded with organisations from four EU countries joining the project. Among them, the biobank.cy Center of Excellence in Biobanking and Biomedical Research of the University of Cyprus.

The GDI project, co-funded by the Digital Europe Programme, aims to implement the 1+Million Genomes (1+MG) initiative to advance genomic medicine across Europe. The press release said that as of 12 April, organisations from Cyprus, Hungary, Malta and Romania have officially joined the project. The expansion of the project is a step towards enabling secure access to high quality human genomics and corresponding clinical data across Europe by creating a cross-border data infrastructure, the press release added

As signatory countries of the 1+MG initiative, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta and Romania’s government representatives will participate in Pillar I of the project, contributing to discussions on long-term sustainability, governance models and the legal framework. Pillar I brings 1+MG sustainability and governance experts together to achieve a consensus on how the 1+MG infrastructure will be supported long-term.

Representatives from all four countries will also be involved in Pillar II, focusing on defining the technical requirements for the infrastructure deployment. Pillar II of the project supports national nodes to progress through the three-phase maturity assessment: onboarding, deployment and operations.

The new countries will have an accelerated integration into the 1+MG initiative, aiming to complete the onboarding phase by 2026. Onboarding involves the establishment of National Mirror Group, the development of national genomic plans and the deployment and testing of the 1+MG data infrastructure.

"The addition of Cyprus, Hungary, Malta and Romania’s institutions demonstrates the commitment of these countries to advancing research and improving healthcare outcomes for their citizens and the wider European community. The participation of more EU countries in GDI will ultimately widen access to genomic medicine across Europe" the press release concluded.

(Source: CNA)