Lead: Prof. Dr. Kristina Adorjan
Biobank Manager: Dr. Mamatha Sauermann
Team Members: Chai Ly, Judith Wagner, Marcel Meyer, Morishima Yosuke, Thomas König, Thomas Nistelbeger
The Bern Mental Health Biobank (BMHB) at the University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Bern is being developed to support cutting-edge research in psychiatry and personalised mental healthcare. The biobank will provide a secure and standardised platform for collecting blood and other biospecimens, together with clinical, psychological, and longitudinal health data obtained during routine psychiatric care. By linking biospecimens with detailed phenotypic and real-world clinical information, the project aims to facilitate biomarker discovery, improve diagnostic precision, and support the development of more individualised treatments for psychiatric disorders.
Data and biospecimens will be collected from inpatients and outpatients of the Adult Psychiatry Clinic, as well as from healthy volunteers, after obtaining General/Informed Consent. Long-term storage and management of biospecimens will be carried out in collaboration with the Liquid Biobank Bern (LBB) at Inselspital, University Hospital Bern. The LBB provides a state-of-the-art biobanking infrastructure, including standardised pre-analytical processing, automated sample tracking, temperature-monitored storage systems, and strict quality assurance procedures in accordance with established ethical and regulatory standards.
BMHB aims to operate in accordance with the highest standards of quality, transparency, and ethical governance in biobanking. To achieve this, BMHB will work closely with the Swiss Biobanking Platform (SBP) and follow its quality and regulatory requirements. The SBP provides a framework for evaluating compliance with national and international biobanking standards, and awards recognised quality labels that reflect best practices in sample collection, processing, storage, data management, and governance.
BMHB also aims to promote scientific exchange and collaboration with other cohorts and registries at both national and international levels. Following approval by the Biobank Scientific Board, collected samples and associated data will be made available to other health institutions in the academic and private sectors for research purposes.
