#TogetherForScience is also evident in Germany where two biobanks – FREEZE Biobank in Freiburg and Central BioBank Dresden (both part of BBMRI.de) – collaborate to support research into post-acute infectious syndromes like Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in young people in Germany.
This centralised national set up is part of PEDNET-LC, an interdisciplinary paediatric network dedicated to wider research and care of children and adolescents with Long COVID-like illnesses. These include post-infectious diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and other pathogens.
The biobanks collect a wide range of samples (from serum and blood to mouth swabs, urine, hair and nasal secretions) linked to a patient registry for deeper clinical insight. Since launching in 2025, more than 5,500 bio samples from over 250 patients have been collected, with plans to expand to 2,000 patients and over 40,000 samples.
Identifying biomarkers for these conditions, which place a substantial burden on this young population, is a key priority to identify disease mechanisms that could pave the way for therapeutic options. The close coordination between the FREEZE and Central BioBank teams has been central to rapidly establishing this national resource.
