In response to the promulgation and implementation of the Human Biobank Management Act, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH) carried out preparatory work to establish a human biobank (hereinafter known as “the Biobank”) in 2012, which was subsequently approved for establishment on July 15, 2013 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Specimens stored in the Biobank include matched tumor/normal tissue specimens, sera, plasma, hematocytes, primary culture cell lines, paraffin blocks, and glass slides from healthy individuals, and patients with 32 major types of disease.
In addition to enhancing research competitiveness of CGMH, the Biobank is compliant with national policies, and serves as a key source of specimens and clinical data for pharmaceutical and biotechnological research, and development of precision medicines in Taiwan since its inclusion in the National Biobank Consortium of Taiwan in January 2020.
To control and manage service quality, tests of DNA and RNA specimens are conducted quarterly, and specimen collection processes are continuously improved to ensure provision of high-quality specimens to researchers. Currently, researchers at CGMH can apply to use available specimens at no charge, and researchers from other institutions can file applications to use these specimens through research collaborations with doctors in our hospital, or with a referral from the National Biobank Consortium of Taiwan. It is hoped that resource sharing through the Biobank can accelerate biomedical research, precision medicine, and artificial intelligence-assisted healthcare in Taiwan, to improve public health and well-being.