The German Biobank Alliance (GBA) welcomes the biobank of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (MPIP), the core unit 'BioPRep' (Biomaterial Processing and Repository), as a new observer biobank. The addition of BioPRep strengthens the network with a highly specialised biobank focused on the long-term collection and storage of human samples in the field of mental and neurological diseases. MPIP is part of the German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG).
Important contribution to research into mental disorders
The BioPRep Core Unit, which has been in existence since 2015, is a clinical and liquid biobank and currently comprises more than 70,000 liquid samples. Technical Director Tamara Namendorf says: "Becoming a GBA observer biobank is an important step for us. It gives us access to a strong network and helps us to further optimise our processes. We look forward to contributing to the alliance and advancing research together."
PD Dr. Dr. Michael Kiehntopf, GBN board member and DZPG member responsible for biobanking at the C-I-R-C (Centre for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health) sites in Jena, Magdeburg and Halle, adds: "With the MPIP biobank, the GBA is gaining an institution that will greatly enrich the network, especially with its specialisation in mental and neurological diseases. We warmly welcome the team and look forward to an intensive collaboration."
About the German Biobank Alliance (GBA)
The GBA was founded in 2017 with the aim of networking academic biobanks in Germany and establishing uniform quality standards. It currently includes biobanks at 36 locations. Since 2021, the alliance has accepted partner biobanks as well as observers still in the process of being established or wishing to further develop their structures. Admission to the GBA is based on a structured application process.
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