Biobanks are promising instruments of biomedical research and of transnational medicine in particular. Ethical, legal and social issues associated with biobanking, however, have recently led to a more critical view on this concept. All efforts addressing these concerns have been grounded on well-established standards of biomedical ethics such as informed consent procedures, protection of individual autonomy, benefit sharing etc. By additionally highlighting the widely neglected aspect of trust, this book aims at broadening the horizon of the ELSI-debate and thus filling a gap in current research on biobanking. The contributions of leading experts and junior researchers cover a wide field of disciplines relevant for biobanking including law, ethics, medicine, public health, social sciences, philosophy and theology.

"Individualized medicine" is a catchphrase currently used to denote efforts in medical research and practice to establish tailored healthcare. The vision of "personalized" medicine has proved to be highly ambivalent, reflecting hype and hope - compared to the great expectations only very few applications have been realized up to now. The contributions to this volume discuss the challenges for patients, doctors, and the healthcare system and examine ethical and societal issues arising from one the most promising and most controversial developments in medical science and biotechnology. (Series: Medizin und Gesellschaft - Vol. 19)