A new white paper provides practical recommendations for implementing minimum standards in tissue biobanking. The publication is largely the result of the work carried out by the ‘Tissue Working Group’ within the German Biobank Network (GBN) and supports biobanks in harmonising their workflows, implementing regulatory requirements and ensuring the long-term quality of samples and associated data.
The focus is on recommendations for standardised processes throughout the entire tissue biobanking workflow. The white paper demonstrates how clearly defined interfaces and standardised procedures can help to further improve the quality and comparability of biobanking processes, thereby providing long-term support for biomedical research.
The publication also highlights the added value of collaboration within the GBN. In the GBN working groups, experts from different locations work together to develop practical solutions to challenges in biobanking.
The publication is available as open access:
Engels C, Langer A, Fritzsche B, Kaufhold-Wedel C, Brochhausen C, Altmann H, Dörenberg J, Hofmann K, Linnebacher M, Phan NT, Baber R, Braunschweig T, Pfeffer T, Brobeil A & Steiger K. Tissue biobanking: minimum interface requirements for efficient and high-quality support for biomedical research – a white paper. Virchows Archiv, 2026, published online 2 June 2026.