Biological Resource Centers

Chair: Dr. Juncai Ma

Biological Resource Centers (BRCs), which offer independent and shared access to authenticated biological materials for research applications in the life sciences in government, industry, and academia, are a key element of the scientific and technological infrastructure for the life sciences and biotechnology. They are accredited/certified service providers or repositories containing a collection of culturable organisms, replicable parts of these, viable but not yet culturalbe organisms, cells and tissues, as well as databases containing molecular, physiological and structural information relevant to these collections and related bioinformatics.

BRCs are crucial for the advancement of biotechnology, human health, and research and development in the life sciences. The living organisms, cells, genes, gene products, and related information or databases BRCs collect are the essential raw materials of biological investigations. Moreover, without those biological resources, life scientists cannot pursue their research, companies focused on biotechnology cannot develop products, and health practitioners cannot elucidate and cure diseases of humans, animals, and plants.

In view of the increasing significance of the BRCs, 2001, OECD Task Force on Biological Resource Centers embarked on the creation of a Global Biological Resource Centre Network (GBRCN) to improve international access to high quality biological materials, information and data within an appropriate framework of operating standards, information linkage, security arrangements and property rights. This is a milestone in both the fields of life science and biotechnology.

However, in order to further promote the prosperity of biology, more efforts should be devoted to the development of BRCs. The Symposium Session I propose is just to achieve this end.

With the collaboration of the participants, the proposed Symposium Session will facilitate the operation of BRCs, impel the development of biological resources collection work and enhance the status of BRCs in the field of life sciences.