Online Education for Biobanking

The Education section brings together CTRNet’s online learning programs to support high‑quality biobanking. We offer two courses: Essentials of Biobanking and Biospecimen Research Methods. Together, these programs provide accessible, foundational training to strengthen biobanking practices, biospecimen handling, and overall research quality.

Essentials of Biobanking

The Essentials of Biobanking course is designed primarily for anyone working in a biobank in order to provide ‘how-to’ knowledge on all aspects of biobanking.  This course is also suitable for other biobank stakeholders interested in obtaining  ‘what is’ knowledge (e.g. ethics board members, individuals planning their own biobank, etc). The CTRNet program was developed by Canadian biobanking professionals and has been endorsed by the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER). We are pleased to offer the course in both English and French.

The course includes 9 online modules. The first module is open to anyone interested in learning more about biobanking and is a requirement for all biorepositories enrolled in the CTRNet certification program.

Biospeciment Research Methods

The Biospecimen Research Methods course has been designed for anyone working in a research laboratory, in order to provide them with education on biospecimen collection and handling. This course is also suitable for health research and clinical trainees. We are pleased to offer free access to the basic course or as paid access to the complete course in order to obtain a University of British Columbia EdX certificate.

Biospecimens are common materials used in health research, but the quality of biospecimens can vary significantly. Quality applied to biospecimens encompasses many aspects including composition, integrity, restrictions on use, and linkage to data that are affected by how biospecimens are collected, handled, and preserved (i.e. how biobanking is conducted). The course includes 6 chapters that outline the issues and methods for use of biospecimens in health research. The course is intended to enhance the ability of researchers to ensure optimal quality and impact of their research using biospecimens.