What is a biobank?
A biobank is a secure place for storing human samples. Like a bank, samples donated for health and medical research are kept under tight security and in carefully controlled conditions.
Samples stored in the Biobank are used for ethically approved health and medical research such as the Australian Arthritis and Autoimmune Biobank Collaborative (A3BC), a national biobank for people with arthritis and autoimmune disorders.
By supporting research studies like these with quality human samples, we can help researchers find better ways to detect and treat illness and disease and help people with health problems.
The NSW Health Statewide Biobank
The NSW Government invested $12 million in the NSW Health Statewide Biobank (NSWHSB), to support world-class health and medical research across the state.
Research is an important part of our healthcare system. High-quality research depends on biobanks and by providing researchers with better access to quality samples, the NSWHSB will help to revolutionise NSW research efforts into conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and rare genetic conditions.
How can I participate in biobanking?
Research projects generally invite a specific group of people to donate to a biobank. If you would like to donate clinical samples your first step would be to speak with your treating clinician to find out if any studies are collecting samples related to your health condition.
Choosing to donate a sample for health and medical research is voluntary and does not affect your care or treatment in any way.
The choice to donate a sample and provide your health information is a generous gift that could support research that results in discoveries that can change, improve and save the lives of others in the future.
