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2025 at EBiSC: new iPSCs, new partners, continued excellence.

As we finish our second year operating independently and sustainably, we want to take a moment to reflect on the progress we have made in 2025 and to thank our teams, partners and collaborators who have contributed to making it a success. It has been a year of hard work, collaboration and teamwork, fed by our continued commitment to building a sustainable, long-term resource for the scientific community.

Expanding the EBiSC collection with new disease relevant iPSC lines

This year, we were pleased to welcome a number of new iPSC lines into the EBiSC collection, strengthening the diversity of iPSCs we can provide for disease-modelling and translational research. Newly added lines include models for Alzheimer’s disease, Angelman syndrome, and congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) — each representing an important and fast moving area of iPSC research.

These additions broaden the scope of iPS cells and data which we are able to make available to researchers worldwide and reflect our commitment to continuing to provide a secure, sustainable and long-term home for iPSC lines generated across diverse research projects.

Improved access through new international distribution partnerships

To improve how we share resources to researchers worldwide, EBiSC has established new delivery partnerships to support regional and international shipping across Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA. These local partners help reduce delivery times, streamline logistics and lower shipping costs, ensuring that EBiSC iPSCs reach laboratories more efficiently than ever.

We look forward to strengthening these relationships in 2025 and improving access for new and existing users across additional regions.

A strong year for banking, quality control and data management

Behind every iPSC line in the EBiSC catalogue, a huge amount of work is invested into cell banking, quality control, documentation and data management. This is possible thanks to the strong partnership between Fraunhofer UK and Fraunhofer IBMT, who jointly operate and maintain the EBiSC collection. The shared commitment from our teams in the UK and Germany to quality assured cell banking and QC, robust and secure cryostorage and FAIR data principles ingrained into our IT infrastructure, ensure the longevity, sustainability and reliability of the EBiSC resource for years to come. A huge thank you to all involved!

Looking Ahead

As we prepare for the new year, we remain dedicated to expanding the collection, enabling access to high-quality datasets and supporting the global iPSC research community through collaboration, cell and service provision and development of new resources, tools and models.

From all of us at EBiSC, thank you for your continued engagement and support throughout 2025.

We wish you a restful winter break and a bright start to 2026.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Big news for biomedical researchers in Australia and New Zealand!

We’re excited to announce that CellBank Australia is now the official distributor of the EBiSC stem cell collection for Australia and New Zealand — making it easier than ever for researchers across Oceania to access 950+ high-quality iPSC lines covering more than 45 disease areas, including cardiovascular, neurological, and metabolic disorders.

This partnership expands EBiSC’s global reach, ensuring that our validated iPSC lines and pre-differentiated cells are available to support research in disease modelling, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine across the region.

Operated by the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI), CellBank brings 18+ years of expertise in authenticated cell lines and quality control services. The collaboration is further strengthened by CMRI’s Stem Cell and Organoid Facility, advancing 3D organoid models and translational research.

📧 cellbank@cmri.org.au

🌐 https://www.cellbankaustralia.com/cell-lines-for-distribution/

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New publication: How FAIR is metadata for human pluripotent stem cells?

EBiSC has been featured in the recent Stem Cell Reports publication, “How FAIR is metadata for human pluripotent stem cells?”, which highlights the importance of applying FAIR principles — Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable — to stem cell metadata.

At EBiSC, we share this commitment. As a centralised iPSC repository, we work closely with partners such as hPSCreg to ensure that iPSC line and donor data are standardised, traceable, and accessible to the global research community. Ensuring that iPSC resources are not only available but also discoverable and reusable is essential for accelerating progress in disease modelling, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine.

Explore the paper here:

🔗 https://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/fulltext/S2213-6711(25)00248-6

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New publication: “The Management of Data for the Banking, Qualification, and Distribution of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Lessons Learned from the European Bank for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells”

We’re excited to announce the publication of our new paper: “The Management of Data for the Banking, Qualification, and Distribution of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Lessons Learned from the European Bank for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells”.

This paper provides valuable insights into how EBiSC and the human Pluripotent Stem Cell registry work together to ensure a robust and secure data management platform and present a model for how this could be implemented by other iPSC repositories to increase the FAIRness of iPSC research globally.

This open access publication is linked below – thanks to all authors for their contributions.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10705942

#iPSCs #FAIR #Data #Biobanking

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EBiSC2 and FAIRplus are improving FAIRness of stem cell data

The FAIRplus and EBiSC2 projects are joining forces to improve how ‘FAIR’ standards (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) can be applied to human induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) line data . The joint effort will improve how iPSC line data can be made more findable, standardised and reusable for researchers.

The European Bank for induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (EBiSC) is a centralised, not-for-profit, iPSC bank providing researchers across academia and industry with access to scalable, cost-efficient, and consistent high-quality tools for the development of new medicines. The EBiSC bank collects iPSC lines from European Union (EU) and non-EU countries as well as the accompanied data from individual research groups and makes these available to scientists for research use. FAIRplus delivers guidelines and tools to facilitate the application of ‘FAIR’ principles to data from selected projects, including those funded under the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). Dr Andreas Kurtz, coordinator of the human Pluripotent Stem Cell registry (hPSCreg) and responsible for the EBiSC2 IT infrastructure explains: “By working with FAIRplus, we will make it easier for scientists to find the information they need and improve how we collect, store and standardise data for new cohorts of iPSC lines which are joining the EBiSC collection in the future. This will improve the efficiency and robustness of iPSC-based research and help to accelerate the path to understanding disease pathology and develop new therapeutic opportunities”.

Dr Serena Scollen, project coordinator of FAIRplus says: “The aim of the FAIRplus project is to develop methodologies and tools to increase the FAIRness of biomedical data and demonstrate the added value of the FAIR data management on selected IMI projects, such as EBiSC2. Our hope is that by helping EBiSC2 create fully FAIR datasets, we can support the research community towards more efficient and robust research.”