Prof. Dr med. Gilles Wandeler, co-principal investigator of the BEready study, and Dr phil. Eva Maria Hodel, BEready project manager, in conversation with the Journal du Jura.

Compliance with professional standards (e.g. ISO 20387:2018) is essential to perform our daily biobanking activities according to Good Biobanking Practices. Our BEready cohort biobank has recently been awarded with the NORMA Label which demonstrates compliance with the Swiss Biobanking Platform (SBP) requirements for standardization of biobanking processes. This labelling approach is part of our long-term strategy to provide high-quality samples to the research community.

Lecture by Dr Eva Maria Hodel at the Senior Citizens' University, Wednesday, 06.12.2023, 14.15, Uni Alhambra, Maulbeerstrasse 3, 3011 Bern.

The next pandemic could break out as early as tomorrow, and we don't know which pathogen will trigger it. The current 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) has shown us that inadequate preparedness led to a crisis that spread rapidly around the world. There were lockdowns that brought everyday life to a standstill and more than thirteen thousand deaths in Switzerland (and millions worldwide). What can we do together to ensure that the canton of Bern is better prepared for the next pandemic?