While much basic science research has been done to elucidate the complex pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI), virtually all of this research has been conducted using animal models. However, due to important differences between the pathophysiology and pathobiology of human and animal SCI, further study of the effects of this devastating injury in humans is clearly warranted. The first of its kind, the International Spinal Cord Injury Biobank (ISCIB) was established in 2019 to store biospecimens and their associated data from individuals who have suffered an SCI. These materials are then made available for future research. The objective of this presentation is to provide an overview of ISCIB, the requests received to date and future directions. To learn more, visit www.sci-biobank.org.

Adam Velenosi is a biobanker from Vancouver, Canada with over seven years’ experience in the field of biobanking. Currently, he works at Praxis Spinal Cord Institute as the Program Manager of the International Spinal Cord Injury Biobank (ISCIB). ISCIB is a repository for human spinal cord injury specimens and associated data, established by surgeon-scientist Dr. Brian Kwon of the University of British Columbia’s International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD).

 Adam discovered his passion for biobanking in 2014 as an intern at the BC Children’s Hospital Biobank (Vancouver, Canada), where he assisted in establishing the first paediatric institutional biobank in the nation. Adam has also held committee membership at the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER), the leading network in the global biobanking and biorepository community.