On, November 21, 2025, the new portal of the SMART National Biobank of China (SMART-NBC) (www.smart-nbc.org.cn) was officially launched, on the second anniversary of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART), . This milestone marks a key step since SMART assumed operational management of the Shenzhen National Genebank on July 1,2025, signaling the start of a more open, standardized, and sustainable new phase for China's national life-science data and bioresource system.
Centered on human health and clinical data and characterized by high-quality biobanking, SMART-NBC aims to develop a multimodal, cross-scale data resource system for human diseases and build a national major science and technology infrastructure that enables secure data storage, standardized data sharing, and intelligent data applications. This infrastructure is designed to provide systematic support for fundamental research, disease mechanism studies, clinical translation, and the biopharmaceutical industry. As global life science enters a new era marked by AI-driven, data-centric discoveries, scientific databases have become more than just auxiliary tools; they have become strategic assets, serving as foundational pillars of national innovation ecosystems.
To fully realize this strategic value, the SMART-NBC portal is committed to establishing an efficient, open, and standardized data service system. This includes unifying data standards and enhancing metadata and annotation frameworks, it improves the discoverability and reusability of diverse biological resources. This portal also streamlines the processes of data application, access, and sharing, enabling researchers to acquire and utilize data more efficiently. Furthermore, it integrates clinical omics, cohort samples, and basic research data while offering visualized search, analytical tools, and cross-platform linking functions to support efficient data mining and collaboration. Through these integrated measures, this portal will accelerate the validation, iteration, and translation of scientific outcomes, providing a solid data foundation for biomedical research.
The newly portal establishes a clearly structured, fully integrated online research hub centered on three core capabilities: a Data Platform, a Sample Resource Repository, and a Data Submission System. It also incorporates the Langtaosha Preprint Platform, providing a rapid sharing mechanism for research outcomes before formal journal publication, while leveraging blockchain technology to enable trusted timestamps and content traceability.
The platform brings together more than a dozen specialized biological databases developed in-house, including the CryoSeek Database, spanning resource types such as raw data, protein structures, disease information, and gene expression. A unified search and discovery portal has been established, enabling seamless cross-resource exploration. Researchers can perform data querying, downloading, comparison, and association analysis through a single entry point, significantly improving the accessibility and utility of scientific information. The system will continue to enhance format standardization, metadata structuring, and quality validation, laying a robust foundation for future intelligent analysis.
The platform features a fully integrated architecture with unified functionality.
The SMART-NBC is undergoing concurrent upgrades to establish an automated, intelligent sample management system that is domestically leading and internationally benchmarked. The facility provides end-to-end capabilities – from sample reception, quality control, and automated aliquoting to temperature-controlled storage and full lifecycle tracking, while establishing structured links between sample information, clinical characteristics, and omics data. This integrated approach supports disease mechanism investigation, clinical cohort studies, and translational applications.
The biobank is now systematically collecting and preserving China's unique animal, plant, microbial, marine, and human genetic resources, continuously expanding its repository scale to provide long-term, stable strategic reserves for scientific research and the development of the biopharmaceutical industry.
While continuously expanding its resource base, the platform places strong emphasis on data compliance and security safeguards. It has completed the development of multiple regulatory documents, including data policies, privacy procedures, and sample and data submission guidelines, all of which have undergone professional review and legal assessment. The platform's front-end design, interactive experience, and information architecture will also be continuously optimized to ensure researchers can efficiently access and utilize resources within a compliant framework.
As new scientific paradigms rapidly take shape, how data, samples, and knowledge move across the research ecosystem is being fundamentally reshaped. The launch of the SMART-NBC portal represents more than an infrastructure upgrade. It marks China's transition in the life sciences from a phase of "fragmented resources" to one marked by "systematization, standardization, and intelligence". Looking ahead, the convergence of more high-quality data, the inclusion of more institutions, and the deeper integration of AI, computational biology, and clinical research will position the portal as a critical national nexus, connecting scientific communities across China. It will help catalyze faster, higher-quality scientific discoveries and continuously inject new momentum into original research, clinical innovation, and industrial development.
The SMART-NBC portal is now officially available to research institutions, hospitals, universities, enterprises, and innovation teams. We welcome you to log in and use its resources, and to join us in building the data infrastructure for biomedicine and advancing the shared development, management, and use of biological resources.
Let's build, share, and explore a new future for biological data!
Email: smart-nbc-contact@smart.org.cn
Service Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00–18:00
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