Shi Wei (L), director of the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, and Gao Hengjun, director of the National Engineering Center for Biochip at Shanghai, unveil the foundation plaque for the Clinical Biobank of the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University on May 30. [Photo/ntjoy.com]

The new Clinical Biobank of the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University officially started operations in Nantong, in eastern Jiangsu province, on May 30.

Officials said it is the first comprehensive biological bank in the city, marking a milestone in the development of the local medical and health industry.

The facility, covering an area of 800 square meters, consists of six areas -- including a liquid nitrogen area and an experimental area. It is able to store a maximum of six million samples.

The first-phase investment in equipment cost 10 million yuan ($ 1.45 million), with sample processing and analyzing equipment meeting international standards.

According to Gao Jianlin, Party secretary of the hospital, the biobank will not only support scientific research, but also provide services such as storing stem cells from newborn babies.

“It is a platform open to the whole society. People are welcomed to store samples in the bank to support the research and development of new clinic technologies and medicines,” said Huang Jianfei, deputy director of the hospital’s pathology department.