Progress for cardiovascular research: centralisation and professionalisation of the DZHK Heart Bank

The biospecimen resource of the DZHK Heart Bank, the largest German collection of cardiovascular biospecimen and data, is being centralised and professionalised. With around 250,000 liquid samples and around 6,000 tissue samples previously stored at 17 different institutions, this valuable resource will now be pooled at the Integrated Research Biobank (IRB) in Greifswald. This step represents progress for the efficiency and quality of research and creates a professional basis for future scientific projects.

The IRB, which is part of Greifswald University Medicine and has been collecting, processing and issuing samples from clinical and epidemiological studies for over 20 years, is equipped with state-of-the-art automated biobank modules. With a total capacity of around 3 million cryovials, an automated nitrogen storage facility and an automated workbench, the IRB has a unique infrastructure. Over the years, the IRB's experienced team has gained valuable expertise in sample processing and storage, which is now being incorporated into the DZHK Heart Bank's centralisation project.

The cooperation project, which started on 1 September 2024 and runs until 31 August 2029, includes a centralisation phase from October 2024 to April 2026. During this phase, the DZHK samples collected from the 17 institutions since 2015 will be inventoried and transported to the IRB. Development projects are also planned to further strengthen the DZHK Heart Bank through additional analyses and the systematic processing of samples.

This centralisation and the professionalisation of storage and processes ensure the highest standards for the use of biosamples. This ensures that researchers have access to high-quality samples in order to conduct innovative cardiovascular research and thus maximise the benefits for patients.

Contact:
Prof. Matthias Nauck, project management, matthias.nauck(at)med.uni-greifswald.de