Indiana Biobank

The mission of the Indiana Biobank is to aid researchers in discovery research that may lead to better ways to treat and prevent diseases.

The Indiana Biobank works towards this goal by providing researchers with tools and resources to advance their research. These tools and resources include:

• A DNA bank of over 50,000 samples linked to the electronic medical record
• Targeted collection of samples to meet a specific research need
• Biospecimen management expertise to collect, process and store a wide variety of biospecimens
• An omics data warehouse with thousands of whole exome sequencing, GWAS, and other genomic data linked to the electronic medical record

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.

The Indiana Biobank is a part of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI). The Indiana CTSI is a statewide collaboration of scientists at Indiana University, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame, as well as public and private partnerships. One of the goals of the Indiana CTSI is to help translate scientific discoveries made in the laboratory into new treatments for patients in Indiana and throughout the world.

Types of Research Questions

The biological samples and electronic medical information are ideal for genomic studies critical to the development of personalized medicine.
The types of research questions that could be addressed using biobank samples and data would include:

• Pharmacogenetics: Can drug response or adverse events be predicted based on DNA genotype?
• Disease risk: Can an individual’s risk for disease be predicted based on DNA genotype?
• Disease progression: Can an individual’s disease progression be predicted based on DNA genotype?

Learn more about the Indiana Biobank here.