Every day, hundreds of people donate biomaterials in German hospitals, thus helping to further medical progress. According to surveys conducted by the German Biobank Alliance (GBA), though, more information is needed on how these biomaterial samples are then used and stored. On 7 June 2018, the GBA launched a campaign to raise awareness for biomaterial donations.

Biomaterials, which include blood, tissues and other bodily materials, are indispensable raw materials for medical research. “Doctors and scientists can use biomaterials to determine the causes of diseases and to develop new targeted treatments,” explains Prof. Dr. Thomas Illig, head of the Hannover Unified Biobank (HUB) and a partner of the biobank alliance.

The national information campaign comprising posters, flyers and a website (www.biobanken-verstehen.de) answers common questions about donating biomaterials and provides insights into the work of modern-day biobanks. The website features a series of research success stories: the use of biosamples has enabled new findings in cancer medicine and on epigenetic changes due to obesity, for instance.

“We would like to help improve transparency and participation with the website and information materials,” says the coordinator of the German Biobank Alliance Prof. Dr. Michael Hummel of the campaign background. “Surveys of biomaterial donors have revealed that many of them do not know what their biomaterials are actually used for. We want to change this.”

More information: www.biobanken-verstehen.de