For Biospecimen Requesters
We connect biospecimen requesters directly with hospital biobanks through our global not-for-profit network. These biobanks provide reliable biosamples and data essential for critical R&D studies.
Access Biospecimens The Not-For-Profit Way
Biospecimen Provenance
Provenance is key ..
Connecting you directly with source biobanks is a core part of our service. This allows you to check the credentials of the biobank, and find out about the quality standards they follow, before you order any biospecimens.
Global Network
World-wide network ...
Biosample Hub connects you to a global network of approximately 100 academic biobanks. As a result, you gain access to a vast range of biospecimen and disease types, available in diverse storage formats.
Industry-Friendly
Supportive biobanks ...
Every biobank on Biosample Hub wants to collaborate with industry partners. Their participation in our platform demonstrates their commitment to providing biospecimens to the biotech industry.
Prospective Collection
Collected to order ...
Over 75% of the biobanks on our platform offer prospective collections. This means biospecimens can be collected according to your specific requirements. Prospective collection is crucial when you need fresh and viable tissue samples.
Financial Transparency
Transparency first ...
Our platform is operated by a not-for-profit company with no shareholders. Therefore, we reinvest any financial surpluses back into the company. All transactions between companies and biobanks occur independently of the platform, and Biosample Hub does not charge any commission.
No Contract Required
Restriction-free
You can interact freely with biobanks on our platform because we don’t require any contracts. This ensures that you face no contractual restrictions when working with us.
Fees & Services
Discover the Perfect Clinical Biospecimens for Your Biotech R&D
Service Plans
At Biosample Hub, we understand the challenges biotech companies face when sourcing reliable clinical biospecimens. To address these challenges, we offer three tailored service options to fit your needs:
1. Pay Per Request
Ideal for biotech companies needing occasional access to specific biosamples without long-term commitments.
- Platform Access: Gain access to our user-friendly platform.
- General Resources: Utilize our comprehensive library of resources.
- Request Submission: Submit individual biospecimen requests as needed.
Cost: €500 per request (updated 26 June ’24)
2. Self-Service Subscription
Perfect for researchers who need regular access and more autonomy in their search for biospecimens.
- Platform Access: Full access to our platform and all its features.
- General Resources: Comprehensive resources at your fingertips.
- Request Submission: Submit up to 10 biospecimen requests per year.
- Biobank Directory: Detailed information on over 100 non-commercial biobanks and direct messaging capabilities.
Annual Subscription Fee: €1,250
3. Full Service Subscription
Designed for biotech companies requiring comprehensive support and extensive search capabilities.
- Platform Access: Full access to all platform features.
- General Resources: All the resources you need in one place.
- Request Submission: Up to 10 biosample requests per year.
- Biobank Directory: Complete directory access with direct communication with biobanks.
- Personalized Support: Expert advice and assistance tailored to your specific biospecimen needs. Benefit from our knowledge of optimal biobank partners.
- Off-Platform Searches: We conduct additional searches beyond our platform to find the best biospecimens for your research.
Annual Subscription Fee: €2,500
More Information
Why Choose Biosample Hub?
If you are in biotech R&D and need clinical samples for your research, Biosample Hub is the ideal solution. Here are some advantages:
Provenance and Trust:
First and foremost, we ensure that you can identify and trust the biobanks collecting your biospecimens. As a result, you gain confidence in their quality and integrity.
Unique Network:
Moreover, our network is exclusively composed of around 100 non-commercial, not-for-profit biobanks from around the world, all eager to work with industry partners.
User-Friendly Platform:
Additionally, our platform is designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, making it easy for you to interact with other members.
Free Communication:
Furthermore, our platform allows you to contact any biobank directly. This feature fosters long-term collaborations without any contractual restrictions.
Simple administrative processes:
Finally, we offer simple administrative processes. With no contracts with Biosample Hub and no strings attached, you only need to agree to the terms and conditions on our website.
Get Started Today
Eligibility: Companies conducting in-house R&D requiring human biospecimens can register.
Any questions? Want a Guided Tour? Contact Us to book a call
Registration: Ready to find the biospecimens you need? Register Here
Choose Biosample Hub to simplify your search for tissue samples and focus on what you do best—innovating and advancing biotech research.
Video: How We Work
FAQs on Biobanks & Biospecimens
Why is the origin of my biospecimens key?
You must know the biobank of origin of your samples, so you can confirm that they follow Quality Standards. If you don’t know the origin of your samples, then you can’t be sure they come from a biobank at all. In fact, some biobank intermediaries may provide samples that come directly from the clinic, where they may not be handled according to professional standards. This is one reason sample traceability is so important.
At Biosample Hub, we put you in direct contact with hospital biobanks, so you are never in any doubt about the biobank of origin.
Why is Biosample Hub not-for-profit?
There are compelling reasons to organize patient sample procurement on a non-commercial basis. For more details, refer to the Nuffield Council on BioEthics report entitled ‘Human tissue: ethical and legal issues’ (pages 50 to 53). Commercial interests can often reduce sample traceability, leading to ethical and scientific concerns (Hofman et al, 2017).
Which disease types can I access?
Using Biosample Hub, you can access biosamples for a wide range of diseases, including infectious and parasitic diseases, cancers/neoplasms, and disorders of various body systems. Additionally, you can obtain normal tissues, body fluids, umbilical cord blood, and microbiome samples.
What clinical information is provided?
The amount of clinical information provided with biosamples varies between biobanks and even within collections. Therefore, you should discuss this directly with the individual biobank for the samples of interest.
What is prospective collection?
Prospective collection begins only after a request is placed, which is necessary for obtaining fresh viable tissue or when the required biospecimens are not available in the biobank. Importantly, requesters can specify:
- Biospecimen types to be collected
- Collection protocols to be used
Should I request serum or plasma?
Serum and plasma both come from blood after cell removal, but they differ significantly. Serum is the fluid that remains after blood clots, whereas plasma remains when clotting is prevented by using an anticoagulant and centrifugation. Whether you need serum or plasma depends on your research needs. Learn more here.
What is FFPE?
Researchers commonly use FFPE, which stands for formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks, in diagnostics and medical research. Learn more here.
Why do quality standards matter?
Quality standards ensure the reliability, integrity, and ethical procurement of biospecimens. This directly impacts the quality of your research, regulatory compliance, and overall success of biotech projects. Some biobanks are certified to follow quality standards such as ISO 20387 and ISO 9001. In some countries (like the UK, France and Spain), all biobanks follow mandatory quality standard guidelines.
Which formats are biospecimens provided in?
Biosamples may come in various formats, including solid tissue, blood, plasma, serum, PBMCs, and other body fluids. They may be fresh and viable or stored by freezing or fixation, and they can also be processed into organoid cultures (PDO) or xenograft models (PDX).
Do biobanks provide any additional services?
Yes, many biobanks on our platform offer additional services such as DNA, RNA, or protein extraction, tissue sectioning, immunohistochemistry, quality control, cell culture, customized assays, and more.
What do biospecimens cost?
All biobanks charge fees for biosamples, and prices vary depending on factors like staffing costs in different countries. As a requester, you pay the fee directly to the biobank. Importantly, Biosample Hub does not charge any transaction fees.
Examples of biobank tariffs:
USA
Canada
Spain
France
What is snap freezing?
Scientists use snap freezing to preserve biological samples quickly by rapidly cooling them, usually with liquid nitrogen or a dry ice-isopropanol bath. Learn more here.
What People Are Saying
Biosample Hub helps us to get in contact with biobanks efficiently, which is very important for our company with a focus on biomarker discovery
BioSampleHub has been invaluable for us. It is so easy to use and we have established connections that were only possible to find within the hub. Response rates have also been great. I would highly recommend signing up
Biosample Hub provides an essential missing link between biotech researchers and medical sites/non-commercial biobanks – as a biotech scientist, I appreciate how it gives me access to a much wider range of potential biosamples vs. the usual mix of commercial providers
BioSample Hub plays a critical role in connecting with biobank worldwide. I particularly appreciate the nice design and the intuitiveness of the platform
We have supported the Biosample Hub project since its start since we think that a worldwide platform of reliable and ethically sourced clinical samples is urgently needed
Biosample Hub assists beneficial collaborations between industry and academia through its intuitive platform which connects groups in a fair and transparent manner
Biosample Hub has been great for us. The platform is very efficient and enables identification and connection to relevant sources and collaborators for human specimens. Outside of the platform, the team is very knowledgeable, provides seminars and learning resources, and is eager to help members manually with difficult scenarios
Biosample Hub has been very helpful in reaching out to biorepositories around the world. Good patient samples and associated data are not easy to source and Biosample Hub has really helped us speed up the sourcing process. Overall we are very happy with the Biosample Hub support that will help us validate and certify our product that much faster.
