Aging Research Biobank

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), conducts and funds various longitudinal and clinical studies on aging that generate or have generated a collection of biospecimens and related phenotypic and clinical data. In 2018, the NIA's Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology established the AgingResearchBiobank to provide a state-of-the-art inventory system for the storage and distribution of these collections to the broader scientific community. Over the years, study collections have made significant contributions to public health and will continue to do so. Aging research will be expanded through the use of such collections to address new promising scientific questions targeting the development of prognostics, markers, and therapeutics for conditions related to aging and to provide a better understanding of the aging process. Collections included in the AgingResearchBiobank were built over many years from studies that carefully selected subjects and are available in a finite quantity. Each biospecimen is unique and cannot be replaced. Together with the opportunity to potentially pool data across study collections significantly increases the value and power of future research findings from the resources offered by the AgingResearchBiobank.

The AgingResearchBiobank has two components:
Biologic Specimens (Biorepository) - Receives biospecimens from different study collections, stores the biospecimens under optimal conditions, and distributes them to qualified investigators. The Contractor for the Biorepository is Precision for Medicine of Frederick, MD. (8425 Precision Way, Suite M, Frederick, MD 21701)

Data Repository - Serving as the Data Coordinating Center for the AgingResearchBiobank, it receives, archives, maintains and distributes databases and images from different study collections. The Data Repository also analyzes stored data and images in response to inquiries, assists ongoing studies in preparing data and images for eventual archiving, coordinates cross-referencing between the two components of the AgingResearchBiobank, and manages the AgingResearchBiobank website. The Contractor for the Data Repository is Information Management Services, Inc, Calverton, MD. (3901 Calverton Blvd, Calverton, MD 20705)