Table 1.

Informed Consent Approaches for Biobanking

Consent type	Description
Presumed	Subjects agree to allow the use of their samples and information for research purposes unless they actively choose to opt out.
Blanket	Also known as open, generic, or general consent. Provides participants a choice on whether they intend to participate for any and all future research.
Broad	Provides participants a choice on whether to participate for future research based on a broad category, e.g., cancer, heart disease, or behavioral research.
Specific	Also known as repeated consent or reconsent. Participants have to consent to each and every future study.
Tiered	Also known as line-item or multilayered consent. Provides participants with multiple options for them to select. The range of options varies and can include whether participants desire to be recontacted, whether they will allow their samples and information to be used for commercial research, and different choices for areas of research in which they would allow their samples and information to be used.
Transferred to a trustee	Participants transfer or delegate their consent authority to a trustee who most often resides outside the biobank but may be a custodian within, e.g., an IRB, a charitable trust, or a honest broker.