The organization structure of biobank.cy CoE

The Director General (DG) and the Academic Council manage the Center with input from the Stakeholder’s Forum and advice from the Internal and External Ethics Advisory Boards, the International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC), and the Center of Excellence Council. The Administration of the biobank.cy CoE includes the management and administrative team that are responsible for the center’s core procedures. The University of Cyprus (UCY) Administrative Services support the biobank.cy CoE. The biobank.cy CoE is committed to data protection and has an agreement with a legal advisory firm for the provision of advisory services to support the compliance of the CoE with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679.

The five main pillars of the biobank.cy CoE are:

Pillar 1: Biobank

The biobank of the CoE archives biological material and medical data from volunteers regardless of age, sex, religion, language, ethnicity, or community origin. The collected samples and associated data can be made available internally to researchers at the Molecular Medicine Research Centre (MMRC) pillar, and to the research community at large, subject to an approval of the proposed project by the Cyprus National Bioethics Committee (CNBC).

Pillar 2: Molecular Medicine Research Centre (MMRC)

The MMRC is the research pillar of the biobank.cy CoE where research projects are materialized. The research activities of the MMRC are diverse with an interest in all diseases with a genetic component. The current list of ongoing research projects can be found in Projects – biobank.cy.

Pillar 3: Diagnostic Laboratory

The Diagnostic Laboratory of the biobank.cy CoE is under development and aims to offer diagnostic and prognostic tests in the Cypriot and International markets.

Pillar 4: Innovation Hub

The Innovation Hub of the biobank.cy CoE is under development and aims to develop contemporary and innovative molecular or other diagnostic tests as an outcome from the expertise concentrated at the biobank.cy and the research conducted at the MMRC.

Pillar 5: Education Hub

The Education hub of the biobank.cy CoE is under development and aims to offer educational events / training sessions, tutoring and practical training, participation in an International M.Sc. program in biobanking, funding for Ph.D. scholarships through external sources, accredited CME courses and an annual ‘Distinguished Lecture’.