Overview
Welcome to the Mayo Clinic Biobank. The Mayo Clinic Biobank is a collection of samples, such as blood, and health information donated by volunteers. Unlike many biobanks in existence at Mayo Clinic and elsewhere, the Mayo Clinic Biobank is not focused on any particular disease.
Rather, this biobank collects samples and health information from patients and other volunteers regardless of their health history. The only requirements are that they be at least 18 years old, have a Mayo Clinic patient number and be able to give informed consent. Once a participant becomes a part of the Biobank, he or she becomes a part of ongoing health research conducted at Mayo Clinic.
The Biobank was established at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and recruitment began in April 2009. The Biobank's initial goal was to enroll 20,000 Mayo Clinic patients over the course of a three-year period to support a wide array of health-related research studies throughout Mayo Clinic.
What's new?
In June 2011, the Biobank reached its original recruitment goal of 20,000 Mayo Clinic volunteers. Thank you to all of the Biobank's participants, as we could not have reached this very important milestone without you. Because of your contributions, important medical research at Mayo Clinic will continue for decades to come. To commemorate recent accomplishments, a celebration occurred on Sept. 23, 2011.
The Mayo Clinic Biobank was also featured on Aug. 25, 2011, at the Community Celebration of Research, an annual event sponsored by the Center for Translational Science Activities at Mayo Clinic. Additional details about these events are in the BioNews issue No. 5 newsletter.
Newsletter
BioNews issue No. 5 (Fall/Winter 2011) highlights:
- Current participant statistics
- Research projects using the Biobank
- Celebrating the recruitment of 20,000 participants
- Recent activities of the Biobank Community Advisory Board
- Community Celebration of Research
