Inclusion of Indigenous Australians in biobanks: a step to reducing inequity in health care

Biobanks are collections of biological specimens, with accompanying health and demographic information, stored and maintained for research purposes.1 Research may range from large scale populationbased longitudinal studies or more defined disease and tissuespecific initiatives. In both observational and cohort studies, biobanks provide an invaluable resource that allows researchers to examine the complex range of factors which contribute to disease, without having to devote time to, and source funding for, the collection and storage of samples.