Services

The LUMC Biobank Facility stores more than 2.5 million biological specimens for nearly every LUMC department, covering almost 150 biobanks & collections. We handle all major sample types, including blood derivatives, feces, urine, saliva, cheek and nasal swabs, eye fluid, cerebrospinal fluid and tissue samples such as biopsies and surgical residual material.

If you plan to start a biobank or collection for a specific disease area, include a biobank in your WMO study, or set up a multi‑center collection, please contact us.

This service includes:

• Biobank & collection setup and expansion – support in designing, initiating and structuring new or existing biobanks/collections, including guidance on managing biobanks and collections.
• Biomaterial handling – best practices for collection, processing, secure storage and long‑term preservation.
• Data handling – advice on data structures and metadata standards.
• Long-term storage solutions – secure, standardized preservation in ultra‑low freezers, liquid nitrogen tanks or archives at room temperature.
• Regulatory and operation guidance – ensuring compliance with ethical, legal and institutional requirements (including assistance with ethics committee assessments).

Our Sample Distribution Service provides controlled and compliant access to human body material and associated data stored within the LUMC Biobank Facility. We distribute samples only when an LUMC researcher is involved in the project, the request has been approved by the responsible investigator of the biobank/collection and a research protocol has been approved by the relevant committees. This ensures that all use of biomaterials aligns with ethical standards, legal requirements and donor privacy protections.

We support researchers throughout the full request process, from feasibility checks to documentation and secure handover. All distributed samples follow standardized procedures to guarantee quality, traceability and responsible use.

This service includes:

• Material and data requests – coordinated access for internal and external researchers in collaboration with an LUMC researcher.
• Compliance and approval support – ensuring all requests meet ethical, legal and biobank‑specific or collection requirements.
• Secure sample distribution – standardized, documented and quality‑controlled release of biomaterials and associated data.