Biobanking

Biobanking refers to the method by which samples of liquid body substance or tissue are collected for research use to enhance our understanding of health and disease Other information, such as height, weight and questions about things that may have a bearing on health may also be recorded at the same time, to supply the context for the samples. Often the samples are kept indefinitely or for several years, counting on the study, in order that future research are often administered. The researchers may track the health of the participants by watching their past and future medical records.

Virtual Biobanks
Virtual banks integrate epidemiological cohorts into a common pool. These biobanks allows for sample collection to meet national regulations

Tissue Banks
These banks harvest and store human tissues for transplantation and research. As biobanks are more established, it is expected that tissue banks will merge with biobanks.

Population Banks
These banks store biomaterial as well as associated characteristics such as lifestyle, clinical, and environmental data.