What is a biobank?
A biobank contains collections of biological material and their
pertinent databases which are systemised for the purposes of
research or routine surveys.
Examples of biological material are:
- blood, serum, sperm and DNA samples
- tissue samples (mRNA/DNA)
DNA can be found in almost all biological material. The types of
samples held in a biobank and the purpose of collection will vary
from one commissioning party to the next. Collections of biological
material of humans, animals and plants already exist which are, to
all intents and purposes, biobanks, although the manner in which
they are currently being used would not necessarily qualify them to
be defined as such.
Today biological samples are collected from the population in
connection with, for example, specific illnesses such as cancer
types or samples from a large portion of the population (population
studies). These samples are usually collected in connection with
clinical trials or public health surveys.
