On Tuesday, April 9, Dr. Yann Joly of the Center for Genomic Sciences and Law at McGill University in Canada, Dr. Jossette-Renée Landry, CEO of Genome Québec, a research funding agency in Quebec, Canada, Dr. Won Bok Lee of the Ewha Institute for Biomedical Law and Ethics in Korea, and Dr. Chih-hsing Ho of Academia Sinica in Taiwan, visited Biobank Japan (BBJ). After a session where Professor Koichi Matsuda, Director of BBJ, and Professor Takayuki Morisaki, Head of the Office of BBJ, provided an overview of BBJ’s operations, a lively Q&A session was held regarding BBJ’s operational policies, provision of samples and data, and other issues. The group then toured the BBJ’s DNA and serum storage facilities.
Professor Kaori Muto (Department of Public Policy, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo), who specializes in ELSI and hosted the ELSI researchers’ visit, expressed, “We look forward to ongoing collaboration with ELSI researchers worldwide to address ethical, legal, and social issues pertaining to BBJ and the advancement of genomic medicine.”

BBJ welcomes visitors from a wide range of backgrounds, including government officials, research and educational institutions, private companies, patient groups, etc.

About ELSI in BBJ