The banking and use of biological specimens has tremendous opportunities for research. In 2010, the Indiana Biobank established a bank of DNA specimens linked to the electronic medical record. The DNA and associated de-identified data are provided to approved researchers for their own discovery research. The Indiana Biobank has DNA specimens banked from over 50,000 residents and actively collects over 100 specimens each week.
Each subject is consented to allow for broad-use of specimens by approved researchers. In 2024, the Indiana Biobank launched a large-scale recruitment effort using SMS messaging to obtain consent from IU Health patients. Learn more about this consent here.
Specimens
Common Diagnoses
Clinical Data
Each specimen is linked to clinical data via the Indiana Network for Patient Care (INPC), which allows for retrospective and prospective access to de-identified clinical data, including clinical progression and outcomes data.
INPC represents one of the largest health information exchanges in the country with over 100 separate healthcare entities providing data which includes: major hospitals, health networks, and insurance providers. When combined, the information from these institutions represent data on over 18 million patients in the form of 10 billion clinical observations, 951 million encounter records, and over 290 million mineable text reports. In addition to these clinical aspects, the INPC receives data on drugs that have been prescribed to patients within its various institutions. With regards to the population, the percent of residents who have touched the INPC has grown to approximately two thirds of Indiana’s population.
Feasibility Request
If you need preliminary data to help determine whether the Indiana Biobank can support your research question(s), we can help obtain counts for your diagnoses of interest. The information can be used for hypothesis generation and as preliminary data for grant documentation.
Omics Data
Omics data generated from certain cohorts of Indiana Biobank samples are available to approved researchers. These data include whole exome sequencing (WES), genome wide genotype data (GWAS), RNA transcriptomics, cytokine/chemokine multiplex analyses, PBMC analyses and HLA haplotype data. These data are linked to clinical data stored in electronic medical records.
Indiana Biobank Catalog
Basic clinical data and demographic information for each subject in the Indiana Biobank is available for approved researchers to review through the Indiana Biobank Catalog. This catalog also allows researchers to see what omics data is available for each Indiana Biobank subject. Please contact us if you require more customized clinical data to determine the feasibility of your project.
Indiana Biobank Catalog Coming Soon