Human biomaterial banks (short: biobanks) are collections of human body substances (i.e. blood, DNA, urine or tissue) connected with disease specific information. This allow for research of relations between deseases and underlying (molecular) modifications and paves the way for developing target-oriented therapies ("personalized medicine").
The biobank material arises from samples taken for therapeutical or diagnostic reasons or is extracted in the context of clinical trials. An approval for usage by the patient is always needed prior to any research activities.