The current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is unprecedented in scale, and has generated a great number and variety of biological samples. Such samples constitute a precious, non-renewable resource, and offer a unique opportunity to facilitate rapid expansion of our knowledge of the Ebola virus and its pathogenesis, in order to expedite the development of effective interventions with which to control and prevent the disease in the future. In order to ensure that the most knowledge is obtained from this resource, WHO convened a meeting in Geneva on 13 May to consider how these samples might be curated and managed.
As the outbreak winds down, rapid decisions must be made on the fate of thousands of biological samples taken from patients during the crisis. Immediate needs for preservation and storage as well as longer–term solutions were considered. The discussants explored a range of options for biobanking - from national, through regional, to international models, including centralized and distributed physical sites, and concepts of distributed, shared, ‘virtual’ knowledge resources.
Representatives of governments, including Ebola-affected countries, key laboratory partners, major non-governmental organizations involved in the Ebola response, disease and biobank experts, and relevant international organizations attended the consultation. The meeting provided a venue for an initial exchange of views. From the outset, there was recognition that additional key stakeholders would need to be engaged and that further work would be required.
Participants identified numerous challenges that might be encountered in planning for biobanking. These included safety, ethical, logistical, infrastructural, IT, legal, and policy-related issues. Countries intensely affected by EVD and others in the West African sub-region indicated that this opportunity should be used to build scientific, administrative, and technological capacities in the region, emphasizing the value of collaborative research among scientists from these countries, and also in partnership with international experts in relevant fields.
The consultation ended with a call for WHO to arrange a follow-up session, bringing together all the necessary stakeholders to address these challenges, and further consider how best to manage and curate samples. As a result, WHO has agreed to hold a second consultation in West Africa within the next few months.