In order to provide effective and personalized health care, high quality human biological samples are needed to support patient-oriented research, promoting biomedical knowledge and the development of new techniques and biomarkers. The CNIO Biobank is a service platform that provides biomedical researchers with access to the human body specimens needed to carry out research in their respective fields. The acquisition and utilization of those samples are at all times subject to the legal and ethical protocols that guarantee the rights of donors, as stipulated in directives approved by the Spanish government or recognized internationally. Criteria used in determining the quality of the sample requested apply equally to its acquisition as to its subsequent usage. The trajectory and equipment of the CNIO Biobank has allowed it to consolidate itself as a key tool and a quality brand for cancer research.