The T1D Exchange’s Biobank – How Anyone with Type 1 Diabetes in the US Can Accelerate Research
Diabetes type: Type 1 diabetes.
What is it? The T1D Living Biobank is a program of the T1D Exchange that aims to simplify researchers’ access to blood samples from people with type 1 diabetes. Volunteers simply opt to donate their blood samples for diabetes research.
Why is this important? This program hopes to make it easier for researchers to conduct research on type 1 diabetes. Since the population of people with type 1 is relatively small, it can be hard to recruit for clinical trials and complete them quickly.
Location: Nationwide. The Biobank Operations Center works with participants to find a lab location close to them and will cover all costs associated with testing done at that lab.
How often is blood required? Requests are based on both the participant availability and the specific needs for samples by researchers at any given time. The Biobank will contact the participant should a request for a sample match the participant’s characteristics; however, it is up to the participant to decide if they want to help.
Will your personal information be kept safe? Samples are processed and stored using a randomly generated ID code to ensure blood samples remain completely anonymous.
Do you qualify? Anyone with type 1 diabetes who lives in the United States can apply.
More information: A questionnaire and contact form can be found here. A Biobank study coordinator will later call to finish the enrollment. An FAQ page can be found here. The Biobank Operations Center can be called at 1-877-280-5345 or emailed at LivingBiobank@BenaroyaResearch.org. -MRV
