Frequently asked questions

Biobanks at German university hospitals are very secure sample and data warehouses that are under the strict supervision of hospital management, data protection and ethics committees. The samples and data in a biobank are protected from unauthorised access at all times. Some personal data such as diagnosis, age or course of disease are stored together with the biosamples. The data is encrypted (pseudonymised) and stored in accordance with the applicable data protection laws. The samples and data are only used for research in encrypted form - i.e. without direct reference to the person in question.