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Biobanking has been a fundamental component of biomedical research, supporting the development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and public health interventions, especially in the past three decades. The strategic importance of biobanking was underscored during the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the need for rapid, coordinated research efforts and access to biological specimens. While high-income countries have established robust biobanking infrastructures that accelerate innovation and precision health, biobanking remains an emerging field across much of Africa. In this webinar, we will provide an overview of biobanking, its vital role in accelerating discoveries and enabling precision public health, and the critical considerations for developing responsive, ethical, and sustainable biobanking systems in African contexts. Join us to learn more about the current landscape and future potential of biobanking in advancing biomedical research and precision public health across Africa.

Speakers: 
Phuthumani Mlotshwa, Karolinska Institutet
Dr Ciara Staunton, Ciara Staunton Consulting

Photo: private

Phuthumani Mlotshwa (HBMLS, MGH, PhD cand.) is a biomedical scientist with over a decade of experience in practising and leading capacity building (SLMTA & SLIPTA) in laboratory diagnostic systems in Zimbabwe’s public, private, and NGO sectors. He holds a Master’s in Global Health and is currently a Doctoral Student at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. In the past 5 years, his research has focused on infectious disease point-of-care diagnostics research and development in low-resource settings, with biobanking as key to expedited diagnostics research. He is an alumnus of the Swedish Institute for Global Professionals and the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community.

Photo: private

Dr Ciara Staunton is an academic and consultant with Ciara Staunton Consulting. In addition she holds honorary positions at the University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa and the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland. She is currently co-lead of the ELSI WP for Genome of Ireland. She was previously a consultant to the WHO (Principles for Human Genome Access, Use, and Sharing), the Global Fund, FIND, the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the ACT-Accelerator.