| Name | Description
| Use (example) |
| i. Identified | Labelled with personal identifiers such as Name or National Insurance Number.
| Clinical genetic tests for disease. |
| ii. Coded | Labelled with a clinical trial subject number that can be traced or linked back to the subject by the investigator. Samples do not carry any personal identifiers.
| Research into specific diseases and responses to medicines.
|
| iii. De-identified | Labelled with a unique second number. There is a link between the first and second number. The second number is unknown to investigators and patients. Samples do not carry any personal identifiers.
| Research into specific diseases and responses to medicines when it may be necessary to return results or go back to coded samples for re-testing.
|
| iv. Anonymised | Labelled with a unique second number. The link between the clinical study number and the unique second number is deleted. Samples do not carry any personal identifiers.
| Research into non-specific diseases, responses to a range of medicines.
|
| v. Anonymous | No personal identifiers. Identification of the subject is unknown. Anonymous samples may have population information (eg the samples come from patients with diabetes, but no additional individual clinical data).
| Source of DNA material for sequencing and identifying DNA markers. General research into the disease area (eg Differential gene expression studies).
|
