Long-Term Health Study NAKO Germany’s Largest Biorepository
The largest repository of human biosamples in Germany is located at the Helmholtz Munich campus. It features cutting-edge robotics and stores a valuable scientific collection at extremely low temperatures of up to -180°C. Researchers use these samples to gain deeper insights into disease development and to advance personalized medicine and preventive measures.
The largest repository of human biosamples in Germany is located at the Helmholtz Munich campus. It features cutting-edge robotics and stores a valuable scientific collection at extremely low temperatures of up to -180°C. Researchers use these samples to gain deeper insights into disease development and to advance personalized medicine and preventive measures.
Biorepository for the German National Cohort
The biorepository at the Helmholtz Munich campus serves as the central repository for the biosamples of the German National Cohort (NAKO). As the largest repository of human biosamples in Germany, it boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure and innovative robotics. This facility ensures that researchers will have access to high-quality biomaterials for decades to come. The use of these samples aims to yield new insights into health research, with the overarching goal of better understanding and improving the prevention, early detection, and treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatism, infections, and depression.
What is NAKO?
The German National Cohort (NAKO) is one of the most comprehensive long-term health studies in Germany. Launched in 2014, it aims to investigate the health of the German population and explore the development of common diseases. The study seeks to use the extensive pseudonymized data to develop improved therapies and personalized prevention strategies. Over a period of 20-30 years, data will be collected from approximately 200,000 randomly selected men and women aged 20-69. Participants are invited every four to five years for comprehensive examinations, which include questionnaires on lifestyle and health, biosamples, and MRI scans. To monitor changes over time between examination waves, participants are also regularly followed-up by mail.
Scientific Treasure
The collection in the biorepository is an invaluable scientific resource that must be carefully safeguarded. To this end, the NAKO established this specialized facility at the Helmholtz Munich campus in Neuherberg, which opened on October 24, 2018, after three years of construction.
At the NAKO study centers, up to five different types of biomaterials are systematically collected from each participant: blood, urine, saliva, nasal swabs, and stool. Blood samples are immediately processed into multiple aliquots on-site. With 200,000 participants, this results in approximately 29.7 million samples. Of these, over 21 million are stored in the central biorepository at the Helmholtz Munich campus, accounting for about two-thirds of the collected biomaterials. The remaining third is kept in decentralized storage at the study centers for safety reasons. This precaution ensures that a portion of the samples is preserved for research, even if the central biorepository is compromised, such as by a natural disaster.
Samples on a Nationwide Journey
From the NAKO study centers, the samples are transported in dry ice-packed containers to Munich. Upon arrival at the Helmholtz Munich campus, they are unpacked, temporarily stored in -80°C freezers, and then transferred through a entry system cooled to -20°C into the storage facilities. Each vial is marked with a unique barcode, and a laboratory information and management system is used to register and monitor the samples, ensuring there are no mix-ups. The cold chain is strictly maintained from the moment the blood is drawn until the samples are securely stored. This level of precision is unparalleled in a study of this magnitude and distinguishes the NAKO from other large international studies.
NAKO Gesundheitsstudie | Michael Haggenmueller
Helmholtz Munich | Matthias Balk
Matthias Balk
Matthias Balk
Matthias BalkRobots for Extreme Cold
The biorepository is equipped with two advanced storage systems: one operating at -80°C and the other at -180°C. The -80°C system, a huge laboratory freezer with space for approximately 2.7 million samples, is semi-automated. A robotic system retrieves shelves from the cold zone into a cooled entry chamber, allowing sample racks to be manually inserted or removed. This storage primarily houses stool samples and nasal swabs, with the low temperature significantly slowing the breakdown of cellular components, ensuring long-term preservation.
Most samples, including blood and urine, are stored in the -180°C facility. This system can accommodate up to 23 large nitrogen tanks, each holding about 1 million samples. At this temperature, biological activity is nearly nonexistent, enabling the samples to be preserved for decades without any degradation in quality. The -180°C storage is fully automated, with a specialized robot managing the entire retrieval and storage process.
A Unique Research Infrastructure
At the NAKO biorepository, biomaterials are not only securely stored – it serves as a crucial resource for the global research community. Researchers can request samples from NAKO for their own studies. Thanks to the automation of the storage system, large volumes of biosamples can be made available quickly. It’s also easy to select samples from specific participant groups. Along with the samples, researchers gain access to NAKO’s extensive research database. In return, data from their analyses are integrated into the NAKO dataset, continuously enriching it with valuable information.
International Data Sharing
Researchers from all European Union (EU) countries can access data and biosamples from the NAKO. To do so, they need to submit a request via: https://transfer.nako.de/transfer/index
Personalized Medicine and Prevention
The biorepository serves as an invaluable resource for researchers, including Prof. Annette Peters, Director of the Institute for Epidemiology at Helmholtz Munich and former chair of NAKO. The biorepository is located just steps away from her office, and the NAKO is central to her research. “It’s truly remarkable that, through the NAKO, we are able to follow such a large group of individuals and their unique life circumstances over an extended period of time. A key emerging area of research is the measurement of environmental chemicals and their metabolites in blood, urine, and stool samples. We will conduct comprehensive analyses, focusing particularly on genetic predisposition, regulatory mechanisms, and molecular signatures using advanced metabolomic and proteomic techniques. These findings have the potential to uncover new biomarkers, enabling earlier disease detection and more effective treatment strategies,” says Peters. This preventive strategy has the potential to fundamentally transform the healthcare landscape and significantly enhance the quality of life for many individuals.
A Gift for Future Researchers
Notably, the biorepository serves as a vital biomedical archive. It preserves valuable biological materials for future research, allowing upcoming generations of scientists to connect findings from newly developed analytical methods with existing data, thereby generating new insights. This long-term perspective ensures that the biorepository not only addresses pressing scientific questions but also contributes to the ongoing advancement of medicine. Prof. Annette Peters emphasizes, “In the future, with the data from our biorepository treasure trove, we will not only answer questions to which we currently have no answers – but even those we haven't yet thought to ask.”
Latest update: October 2024.
