Biobanks & bio-resources
To find biobanks & bio-resources select a category from the menu below:
Biobanks catalog and store specimens for use in medical & scientific research. Besides cataloging specimens based on tissue type, cell type, fluid type etc, specimens may also be cataloged based on age, gender, genetic traits, ethnicity, disease type, disease progression, and more. The moral code of practice stipulates that biobanks should only accept specimens via informed consent. For privacy reasons, patient / donor names are not disclosed. Besides human specimens, some biobanks also store samples for animals commonly used in medical research as well as bacterial cells associated with human health. Most biobanks use cryonics (freezing) to maintain specimens in storage.
Some biobanks are commercial entities that charge a fee to use their samples. In this case, obtaining samples is simple.
Many biobanks are funded by governments or charitable organisations, usually providing samples free of charge or for a small processing fee. In order for these biobanks to maintain their funding sources, they are obliged to ensure that their samples are only provided to reputable causes. In this case, to obtain samples from these biobanks, an application process is usually required. In most cases applicants will need to show they are experienced researchers based at reputable research institutes, and that the intended specimen use will be part of a project or study that will significantly contribute to an increase in knowledge or positive outcome for human health.
If you are planning to receive samples from a foreign country, make sure to check with your governmental authority as to any permits etc required for importing samples into your country.
If you need help finding samples, see the Bioscience Review article:
SmarterLab can assist with storage & retrieval automation, and more.
Suppliers of competent cells for transformation / cloning:
For standard laboratory mice, mutant mice & genetically customised mice see Mouse models & mouse services
Drosophila distributors - Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center (United States)
