Pan-European biobanking could start to become a reality next year under a new international legal structure designed to help cross-border research projects get off the ground, top scientists said in Brussels on Wednesday.

At present, there are hundreds of biobanks, which collect human genetic material and biological samples for scientific investigation, across Europe. Their material plays a key role in medical research, but scientist say more co-ordination of resources – and knowing what material is held where – would be invaluable.