The sample locator: A federated search tool for biosamples and associated data in Europe using HL7 FHIR

This study outlines the development of a highly interoperable federated IT infrastructure for academic biobanks located at the major university hospital sites across Germany. High-quality biosamples linked to clinical data, stored in biobanks are essential for biomedical research. We aimed to facilitate the findability of these biosamples and their associated data. Networks of biobanks provide access to even larger pools of samples and data even from rare diseases and small disease subgroups. The German Biobank Alliance (GBA) established in 2017 under the umbrella of the German Biobank Node (GBN), has taken on the mission of a federated data discovery service to make biosamples and associated data available to researchers across Germany and Europe.