Q＆A

The National Center is a national research and development corporation under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and is a national center for highly specialized medical research. Each has its own specialized area of expertise, and this specialization is also a characteristic of the biobank. Because of the wide range of specialized areas, NCBN is able to collect samples from a wide range of diseases.
The six national center biobanks that comprise the NCBN are as follows

For more information on each of these biobanks, please see the links above.

The biobank mainly registers samples related to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, psychiatric, neuromuscular diseases, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, immune disorders, etc., adult diseases, and geriatric diseases in each NC's area of expertise.

Blood collected from biobank registrants is mainly processed into plasma, serum, and DNA, and then stored at each NC. In addition, test residual samples collected during medical examinations are also stored. Depending on the disease, surgically removed tissue, muscle tissue, spinal fluid, etc. are also stored. Medical information can be provided from the electronic medical record, including laboratory information and drug prescription history, in addition to common medical questions and disease names at the time of registration.

Although NCBN is a disease-based biobank, we also hold samples from people who have undergone physical examinations and trauma patients, which may be treated as healthy people for some studies. Please contact the Central Biobank for the required samples.

NCBN's samples can be provided to companies, research institutes, and universities in Japan for a fee or in the form of joint research. Currently, we do not offer paid provision to companies and research institutions outside of Japan, but we may be able to provide them in the form of joint research.

In collaborative research, NCI will provide samples and information for research conducted jointly by NCI researchers and researchers from universities, research institutes, and companies in Japan and overseas.
In the case of paid donation, NC will provide samples and information for research conducted by non-NC research institutions, including private companies, under an MTA (Material Transfer Agreement).
The type of MTA depends on the NC and the samples to be provided, so please contact the Central Biobank.

Please refer to "Matters Related to Research Utilization" for the MTA and other common application forms.

Please contact the Central Biobank Office through the "Contact Us" page.
We will match you with an NC biobank that has your samples based on the content of your inquiry. At that time, we will provide you with detailed information about each NC biobank and how to provide the samples.
After a hearing, we will ask you to submit a research plan, an application form, a copy of the ethics review approval form, and other necessary documents, and a committee that reviews the use of biobank materials and information will review the validity of the research and the eligibility of the research institution.
Depending on the method of donation and samples, approval by the Ethics Review Committee of each NC may be required.