It is with great sadness that the German Biobank Network (GBN) bids farewell to Dominic Allen, who passed away on 1 August 2026 at the age of 74. For more than a decade, until 2025, he served as Chair of the Scientific and Ethical Advisory Board of the German Biobank Node and, later, of the German Biobank Network. During this time, he played a pivotal role in shaping the development of the network.
Dominic Allen combined many years of experience in the life sciences with a background in management and strategic consultancy. A key milestone in his career was his position as Chief Operating Officer at the Integrated BioBank of Luxembourg (IBBL), where he played a decisive role in establishing the organisation. His professional career took him across various countries, sectors and roles, ranging from engineering and consultancy to international finance and to the management of biobanks. This breadth of expertise, coupled with his ability to bring together different perspectives, proved invaluable to the GBN. He thought strategically, asked the right – and sometimes difficult – questions, and always kept his eye on the bigger picture. His keen insight into the long-term development of biobanking made him a key driving force behind the network.
Dominic Allen will also be fondly remembered by many within the GBN. He was approachable, warm-hearted, and genuinely interested in the people behind the issues. His ability to distil the key ideas and develop a clear vision following long and intense discussions was particularly impressive. Many people will remember his deep, calm and distinctive voice, as well as his ability to summarise complex issues concisely. Last but not least, he enriched every collaboration with his subtle, often dry sense of humour.
With his passing, the GBN has lost an important ally who has had a lasting influence on the network’s development. For those who would like to revisit his thoughts on the future of biobanking, we recommend his article ‘A Failed Model’, which was published in The Pathologist in 2017. In it, he questioned established collection strategies in his typically incisive manner, arguing that biobanking should align more closely with the requirements of research. This article is a fine example of his ability to think beyond disciplinary boundaries and to draw new perspectives for biobanking from a seemingly distant field such as the automotive industry.