[The construction and operation of a central biomaterial bank : The ZeBanC of the Charité Berlin]

Abstract

The use of high-quality, well-characterized biomaterials and their clinical and demographic information for biomedical research has steadily increased in importance over the last 10 years. There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, several studies have shown that even in high-profile scientific papers the description of the origin and characteristics of the biomaterials used is missing or insufficient. On the other hand, it has become generally accepted that small collections of biomaterials are often created under ethically and legally unclear conditions without quality measures and without sufficient sustainability.The establishment of a centralized biomaterial bank (ZeBanC) was initiated in order to steer the biomaterial collections at the Charité under well defined conditions. This activity is carried out in close cooperation between the Charité and the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH).

Keywords: Biobanks; Biomedical research; Cryopreservation; Database; Specimen handling.