HEnRY (HIV Engaged Research Technology) is the DZIF’s own biobanking software. The tool is developed at the University Hospital Cologne in the working group of Prof. Dr. Janne Vehreschild. It is used to document the storage and processing of different biosamples. Everyday practical laboratory work is simplified and accelerated, possible sources of errors are minimized and the quality of documentation is increased. Information on studies, samples, aliquots and processing steps are recorded and stored in HEnRY in a structured way and the collaboration of different working groups is simplified by possibilities for data exchange.

HEnRY (HIV Engaged Research Technology) is the DZIF’s own biobanking software. The tool is being developed at the University Hospital Cologne in the working group of Prof. Dr. Janne Vehreschild. It is used to document the storage and processing of different biosamples. Everyday practical laboratory work is simplified and accelerated, possible sources of errors are minimized and the quality of documentation is increased. Information on studies, samples, aliquots and processing steps is recorded and stored in HEnRY in a structured manner, and collaboration between different work groups is to be simplified through data exchange options. The HEnRY software enables documentation of storage through to shipment of samples and aliquots. For different studies, large quantities of aliquots can be generated with one click by applying predefined drawing schemes.

For multi-center studies, it is possible to create studies with all practical details centrally by a study coordinator and send them to the participating centers. A uniform processing of the samples is ensured by the centrally created run sheet for the laboratory with the chemicals to be used.

In cooperation with the Zentrales Bioproben Register (ZBR), a reporting module for samples and aliquots to the ZBR has been developed. Users can easily submit sample data to the ZBR after logging in to the ZBR (explanatory video ZBR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77PJ7KJtryo).

HEnRY is also used for the structured capture of biospecimens from animals or cell lines. Therefore, with the latest update, customizable interfaces have been made available for these user groups to further simplify documentation. Basic medical research is also to be supported with a free biobanking tool, so that the collaboration of clinical working groups can also be promoted in these areas.

The tool works with a local database, which should be located in a secured network. Data exchange is possible in anonymized form on the level of samples and aliquots in the form of XML.

At the University Hospital Cologne, HEnRY is available via the hospital’s own Citrix access. Secure and controlled access via the Internet is thus possible. HEnRY has been in use at the University Hospital Cologne since 2016 with high user satisfaction. As of September 2021, HEnRY is used to document 5,136 active patients, 97 cell lines, 19,654 samples, 149,829 aliquots for 44 ongoing studies/SOPs at University Hospital Cologne. HEnRY is used by 25 research groups in 9 centers in 4 countries.

The software is published free of charge under the MIT license.