biobank A biobank is a type of biorepository that stores biological samples (usually human) for use in research. Biobanks have become an important resource in medical research, supporting many types of contemporary research like genomics and personalize ...

is a physical place which stores

biological specimen A biological specimen (also called a biospecimen) is a biological laboratory specimen held by a biorepository for research. Such a specimen would be taken by sampling so as to be representative of any other specimen taken from the source of t ...

s. In some cases, participant data is also collected and stored. Access policies details may vary across biobanks but generally involve obtaining

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...

approval from

institutional review board An institutional review board (IRB), also known as an independent ethics committee (IEC), ethical review board (ERB), or research ethics board (REB), is a committee that applies research ethics by reviewing the methods proposed for research to ens ...

s (IRB) and scientific review or

peer review Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

approval from the institutions under which the biobanks operate as well as Ethics approval from the institutions where the research projects will be undertaken. The samples and data are safeguarded so that researchers can use them in experiments deemed adequate. This article contains a list of biobanks.

Classification

Biobanks can be classified in several ways. Some examples of how they can be classified is by their controlling entity (government, commercial enterprise, or private research institution), by their geographical location, or by what sorts of samples they collect. Biobanks may be classified by purpose or design. Disease-oriented biobanks usually have a hospital affiliation through which they collect samples representing a variety of diseases, perhaps to look for biomarkers affiliated with disease. Population-based biobanks need no particular hospital affiliation because they sample from large numbers of all kinds of people, perhaps to look for biomarkers for disease susceptibility in a general population.

References

External links

List of biobanks
{{Bioinformatics * Biobank organizations * biobanks, List of