On the one hand, we have the hardware of the biobanks in Europe including the one located at the Meduni Graz, according to its own definition “one of the largest and best-known clinical biobanks worldwide. Around 20 million individual samples of body fluids and human tissues are stored here. Biobank Graz makes these samples and associated data accessible for scientific research. The common goal is to develop approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.”

On the other hand, the software comes into play: The European Health and Life Science Research Infrastructure for Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources (BBMRI-ERIC) with its headquarters located in Graz. The name may sound bulky, but to put it simply: you accelerate the scientific drive towards the goal by supporting scientists in Europe and beyond at different levels, including trans-national access to samples and data.

Currently, BBMRI-ERIC is leading an EU research project (“canSERV”) in which over 400 services from 150 service providers are made accessible to scientists across Europe. The services range from administration, to the scientific set up, IT skills, legal consulting or research skills and project management and the unifying keywords are: support, cooperation and knowledge. The services also include easier access to biobank data, quality training (e.g. sample processing) and networking of specialists across Europe. The whole scenario resembles a huge service supermarket with shelves packed with high-quality options, from which researchers can choose the needed services for their research projects. All applications from researchers to access these services are examined by an Ethics Board and Scientific Commission. After approval, the granted services are provided free of charge via BBMRI-ERIC.

In the canSERV project, BBMRI coordinates the activities of 17 other European research institutions, which together make cross-border cancer research at the highest level possible. The project is funded by the EU which provides considerable financial resources. The figures alone are impressive: From a total budget of 15 million Euro, 2.6 million Euro are provided for Austria’s scientists and 800,000 Euro for the provision of services for Austrian life science and research partners. And everything is connected through BBMRI-ERIC’s headquarters in Graz, where a team of 40 experts (complemented by a dozen experts located in various EU countries) coordinate the activities under the leadership of Prof. Jens Habermann, BBMRI-ERIC’s Director General.

One main focus is the fight against cancer. In total, samples and data of 21 different tumour entities build the foundation for various research projects. It is one of the highest priorities for BBMRI-ERIC that the results of alle these different projects are shared with the public to further accelerate research. The Meduni Graz is an integral part of these efforts and specialised in the development of AI algorithms in digital pathology as well as the isolation and preservation of cancer cells.

International success stories highlight the impact of BBMRI-ERIC’s and canSERV’s model to support research. One successful canSERV applicant is Dr. Julia Scheiermann, assistant physician for paediatric oncology and haematology at the Charité University Hospital Berlin. Scheiermann’s research is driven by the question how the composition of a cancer patient’s intestinal microbiome influences the success rate of stem cell transplants. Bone marrow transplants can be key to cure severe diseases including cancer, but still bare high risks in form of relapses or infections. Scheiermann’s research therefore aims to develop strategies to support the patient’s intestinal microbiome and  reduce the risk of serious complications after transplantation. Via BBMRI-ERIC and canSERV, Julia Scheiermann is able to access state-of-the-art genome sequencing services at the University of Bologna to analyse her patients’ samples and she can also complete special quality management training in the field of biobanking. All this is part of canSERV’s vast service portfolio to support researchers on their way to new breakthroughs.

canSERV’s mission is to make cutting-edge and customised research services available to the cancer research community EU-wide, enable innovative R&D projects, and foster precision medicine for patients’ benefit across Europe. By connecting, coordinating, and aligning existing oncology and complementary research infrastructures (RIs) and providing services in a synergistic way transnationally, canSERV will capitalise on the critical mass of experts and cutting-edge services offered by canSERV’s RIs and their extended network.

canSERV brings together world-class European life science RIs (BBMRI, EURO-BIOIMAGING, ELIXIR, EU-IBISBA, EuroPDX, EUOPENSCREEN, INSTRUCT, EATRIS, INFRAFRONTIER, EMBRC, ECRIN, EATRIS, MIRRI, ARIE, CCE, EORTC, and IARC) that collectively not only cover all aspects along the development pipeline for oncology but are also capable of interconnecting these technologies, providing users guidance for navigating them through the entire translational value chain. Two SMEs, ARTTIC and ttopstart, will provide valuable input regarding stakeholder engagement and project management activities.

A common access management system (CAMS) will be developed based on mature solutions from INSTRUCT and BBMRI. The CAMS will provide a method for selecting services, constructing and submitting research proposals, multi-step review of research proposals, and tracking the access process from approval through delivery to conclusion. Through a unified, user-intuitive transnational access where a unified catalogue of oncology services will be offered, our users will have access to a comprehensive service portfolio.

As our ambition is to scale up canSERV to a pan-European collaboration of RIs for accelerating the development and implementation of solutions for the cancer patient community, the sustainability of this network beyond the end of the project will also be addressed.

The key objectives of canSERV are:

1. To offer at least 200 unique, cutting-edge Personalized Oncology (PO)-relevant services for life science research in Europe over the next three years.
2. To establish a single, unified transnational access and training for all services.
3. To ensure data generated through oncology-related service provision will be fully compliant with the FAIR principles and complement and synergize with other relevant EU initiatives (e.g., EOSC, UNCAN.eu).
4. To sustain the network and unified resources of oncology-related service provision long-term, beyond the duration of the project.

In RP1, canSERV offered a robust array of 446 cutting-edge services from 132 service providers, all accessible through its online catalogue. This digital inventory not only furnishes comprehensive information about each service but also ensures user-friendliness with its intuitive search functionality, and continuously undergoing enhancements for optimal usability. Embedded within the online sphere of the participating RIs and service providers, this catalogue offers users easy access to detailed service insights.

Moreover, canSERV carefully set-up the access management process, and the TNA access management started with the support of the Common Access Management System (CAMS). canSERV launched three calls. The First Challenge-Call launched on 28.02.2023 was published in cooperation with other EU initiatives to provide use cases for the EOSC4Cancer-UNCAN.eu cooperation. As a result of this call, six applications were granted in an amount of 407,444.00 EUR, involving 13 services addressing data-driven treatment selection for localised tumours with multiple patient-derived data types to support novel treatment and diagnostics or precision treatment guidance for metastatic cancer, especially colorectal cancer, based on multiple sources. Within the context of canSERV, the European Molecular Tumour Board Network (EMTBN) has a crucial role in fostering prompt translation of discoveries made in cancer research, also through canSERV TNA services, into possible therapeutic options to consider for MTB recommendations. At present, we have 246 registered EMTBN members from 42 countries, mostly from Europe but also from non-European countries.

canSERV is aligned to and supports the EU Cancer Mission.