The human biological resource centres network. A key infrastructure for biomedical research in Europe

Continuing advances in life sciences and medical research are the result of the remarkable achievements of cell and molecular biology. In the post-sequencing era, the quality of the huge amount of data continuously generated by biotechnology, i.e. genomics, proteomics and high-throughput screening, depends on the quality assurance and the traceability of the original biological materials, including the annotations linked to these materials. Thus, biological resource centres are key infrastructures supporting biotechnology, bioprocessing and the development of new approaches in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.