ViVa, a state-of-the-art research biobank that will contain 5 million human, animal and environmental samples, is born. A project created in partnership with SIAD

Brusaferro: the quality standards of a biobank guarantee the quality and reliability of the resulting research

Rome, July 7-Agreement has been signed for the construction of ViVa, one of Italy's largest research biobanks that will be able to contain biological samples of various types: human, animal and environmental, according to the highest quality standards, to enable cross-cutting research that takes into account all the factors that determine our health. The biobank, located in the area of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, will be ready in the first half of next year. The new 700-square-meter facility will beable to hold up to 5,000,000 samples and will be built through collaboration with SIAD, one of Italy's leading chemical groups, which developed the entire project worth 3,500,000 euros for the Institute. Viva will have dedicated areas equipped with advanced technologies and equipment for the preparation, analysis and storage of samples and related data, making it a reference point for biomedical research. 
"Biobanks are an indispensable tool for present and future research, and this realization, thanks to the support of SIAD, will help keep ISS and Italian public health at the forefront," says Silvio Brusaferro, president of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, "because it is designed and built with the best technologies. "Moreover, a biobank of this level, which guarantees perfect preservation of biological samples and related data through the application of the highest quality standards," he concludes, "is the fundamental prerequisite for the quality and reliability of the resulting research as well as enabling leadership in international networks. 
"The SIAD Group was born in 1927 from the passion for research and innovation of its founders, Prof. Quirino and Prof. Bernardo Sestini, and has always supported the scientific world through scholarships, outreach projects to institutions and hospitals. By making available to Italian scientific research the best technologies and high skills present in the SIAD Group, we confirm a continuous and collaborative relationship with institutions and the community. Today, SIAD is oriented toward the world of Life Sciences, and regenerative and personalized medicine. Our engineers and experts have been working side by side for months with ISS researchers to build the Viva biobank. The result is a state-of-the-art biobank that has the ambition of boosting research and becoming a model and a benchmark for the biobank sector," concludes Bernardo Sestini, SIAD CEO. 

The entire facility will be divided into three areas: one intended for samples collected according to standards that guarantee the highest sample quality; a second area for the preservation of historical samples, i.e., those that have already been collected, which do not always meet all the quality requirements but could nevertheless represent an important information asset for future research; and the third is an area defined as disaster recovery, intended to house for transitional periods samples from other facilities facing critical situations. The Viva biobank ensures the highest standards of environmental sustainability, through smart management technologies and the use of renewable energy that help reduce the facility's environmental impact. In addition, the design allows for flexibility and modularity that makes it adaptable to different research needs and evolving technologies.  
SIAD 
SIAD is one of Italy's leading chemical groups, with a 2022 turnover of more than 1 billion euros, 70,000 customers and 2,177 employees worldwide. Founded in Bergamo in 1927, chaired by Roberto Sestini and administered by Bernardo Sestini, it has a strong tradition and experience. The SIAD Group has operations in Europe and around the world and is active in the Industrial Gas, Engineering, Healthcare, Natural Gas and LPG sectors.
Since its foundation, values such as Solidity, Innovation, Authenticity and Difference have enabled the SIAD Group to grow, continuing to expand year after year in a responsible and sustainable way.