Biobank Graz provides powerful logistics and infrastructure enabling prospective collection of samples and data designed according to the needs specified by customers. One of the competences is also the planning and realisation of prospective study cohorts. Professional support in all biobank-related research questions is offered by the project management team, especially concerning biobank samples as well as customer and researcher requests.

Biobank Graz houses a large collection of clinical samples, comprising millions of well organized tissue and liquid samples and associated data. It offers professional support in all research questions concerning biobank samples and handles customer and researcher requests.

Since Biobank Graz offers powerful logistics as well as storage and data handling with well-trained Biobanking staff, an integration of pre-existing collections is a possibilty to ensure save storage.

Continued education and well-trained personnel are a prerequisite for biobanks. Since Biobank Graz staff has comprehensive experience (concerning legal, ethical, technical and organisational aspects in biobanking), training and consulting for biobanking personnel is one of our services. Also the support at the installation of new biobanks is a field of activity.

For further analysis of biobanking samples Biobank Graz collaborates with the following Core Facilities of the Medical University of Graz: Flow Cytometry, Mass Spectometry (Lipidomics and Proteomics), Microscopy, Molecular Biology including NGS and Ultrastructure Analysis.

Biobank Graz is an active and leading player in (inter-) national projects and activities aimed at improving interactions between and cooperation amongst biobanks. Biobank Graz was involved in several projects under the 7th Framework programme as well as the HORIZON 2020 programme of the EU. Moeover, Biobank Graz is one of the members of BBMRI.at, the national node of BBMRI-ERIC, which is aiming at improving biobanking collaboration on a European level. Since BBMRI.at and BBMRI-ERIC both are located in the same building as Biobank Graz, a good connection on a daily basis is given. Also, Biobank Graz is member of the European, Middle Eastern and African Society for Biopreservation and Biobanking (ESBB) as well as the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER).

Most of the liquidsamples of Biobank Graz arestored at the fully automated LiCONiC KiWi Store. This storage system comprises of a -20°C handling zone with a single tube picker and a-80°C zone where the samples are stored chaotically. 1-D and 2-D bar codes are scanned via this deviceand associated data is stored in the central Biobank database.

This pipetting robot enables the Biobank Graz to automatically pipette liquid samples from smaller studies with varying aliquots and handling demands. Therefore there is no freezing unit included in this device, so that the aliquoted tubes can be transported to the storage straight away. This pipetting robot also comprises of a barcode reader, an integrated camera and the link to our database.

The custom-made pipetting robot recognizes 1D- and 2D-barcodes on tubes via barcode reader to identify the type of sample, volume containing in the tube and the demand of aliquotation. The automatic capping and decapping of the tubes, included freezing station for medium-term storage at -15°C as well as connection to the laboratory information system is the convenience of this device.

The Biobank Graz new storage system for liquid samples is a fully automated -80°C storage system with 9 storage bays. Tubes can be stored and retrieved automatically via the single picking module in the isolated -80°C input/output buffer zone. Mechanical cascade-refrigeration circuitskeep the temperature in the storage area at -80°C. Active air dehumidification in the processing compartment and a full temperature monitoring system ensure high quality storage for all Biobank samples.

In addition to 9 conventional tanks for cryopreservation, the Biobank Graz stores tissue samples in the ASKION C-line hermetic storage HS200. It consists of the working room with a temperature of -80°C to -110°C and the storing container with a temperature of -150°C (gasphase of liquid nitrogen). The sample handling works through the operatorport via a pair of heated gloves. The storage position of the samples is automatically allocated within 6 storage racks, rotatable on a carousel. Continuous cold chain, a rapid storing process and recording of all relevant sample data are the advantages of this device.