International Environmental Specimen Bank Group (IESB)

PiE-UPV/EHU hosts the Biscay Bay Environmental Biospecimen Bank (BBEBB) that will offer access to past, present and future marine samples and specimens suitable for biotechnological and biomedical applications, as well as for biological-effects assessment in environmental monitoring. As a result, we have participated actively in IESB since 2010 and we are at present leading the update of ESBs to face the biological-effects assessment challenge.

IESBG promotes the worldwide development of techniques and strategies of environmental specimen banking and the international cooperation and collaboration among national ESBs. Our contribution has been pioneering and we have leaded discussions and activities to promote the changes needed to transform chemically driven ESBs into those EBBs required for advanced biological effects assessment suitable to respond to the demand of 21st century’s environmental policies.