What happens to my samples?
Biospecimen are indispensable for biomedical research about prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. A single biospecimen can be used for many different future research purposes. The specific use of a biospecimen is often unknown at the time of sampling.
If you want to donate a biospecimen, your sample will be processed and stored in a biobank. This ensures a very long durability. When scientist need specific samples for a research project, they will contact the biobank to see if matching samples are available. Before any further steps can be taken, an ethics commission has to approve the research project. Afterwards, the scientific advisory board of the biobank has to agree to the dispensing of the requested biospecimen. In this way, every donation of biospecimen can contribute to the development of new therapies and a better treatment of future generations of patients.