Why and how to use a biological specimen bank in epidemiological and clinical research: Methodological issues

The use of biological specimen banks has proliferated in the last decade of scientific research. The present paper analyzes some issues that need to be taken into consideration by those researchers who carry out studies using biochemical determination as a measure, for example, of exposure and disease definition. Relevant considerations regarding specimen banking at very low temperatures (lower than -70°C) for a long time (years) include …