Nationwide biospecimen bank of blood, urine, stool, and other samples from diverse participants
Biospecimen Collection Core: Leveraging existing and prospectively collecting specimens in a diverse cohort
This project builds and shares a very large collection of blood, urine, stool, and other samples from hundreds of thousands of diverse participants to help researchers study many health conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Broad Institute, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11261061 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You may be able to contribute samples or benefit from discoveries made using this resource because the project combines specimens and detailed health data from five long-running U.S. cohorts totaling over 350,000 people. The teams are pooling existing collections (about 3.2 million specimens) of blood, urine, stool, and oral swabs and will prospectively add samples from additional sites like nasal and skin and include post-mortem brain donations. Samples and linked lifestyle, biomarker, and 'omics data will be tracked with automated barcoding and a laboratory information management system to ensure quality and accessibility. Qualified researchers will be able to request specimens and data for studies of disease markers, risk factors, and potential treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are people enrolled in the five long-term cohorts (Nurses' Health Studies I, II, and 3; Health Professionals Follow-Up Study; Growing Up Today Study) or those willing to donate blood, urine, stool, oral, nasal, or skin samples or to provide post-mortem brain tissue.
Not a fit: People looking for an immediate clinical treatment are unlikely to receive direct personal benefit because this work is building a research resource rather than testing a therapy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this resource could speed discovery of disease markers, clarify risk factors, and support development of better tests and treatments across many conditions.
How similar studies have performed: Large cohort biobanks such as the Nurses' Health Studies and other population biobanks have already supported many important discoveries, so this builds on proven models.
Where this research is happening
Cambridge, United States
- Broad Institute, INC. — Cambridge, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Dong — Broad Institute, INC.
- Study coordinator: Wang, Dong
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.