NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE - CANCER.GOV

Contact Information


Primary Contact

Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo, MD, MSc, PhD, FAC COR Level III
Program Officer

Location

31 Center Drive
Bethesda, Maryland 20892

Overview

The AgingResearchBiobank was officially launched in January 2019 with a mission to provide a state-of-the-art inventory system for the storage, maintenance, and distribution of de-identified biospecimens and associated phenotypic, clinical, and imaging data from numerous NIA-funded longitudinal studies and clinical trials on aging with the broader scientific community worldwide. It aims to foster compliance with NIH/NIA resource-sharing policies using FAIR principles and accelerate scientific advances to ultimately help extend the healthy, active years of life for the world’s fast-growing population of older adults. Approximately 15 collections of biospecimens and associated data from human studies are available. A collection from an experimental study conducted in rats is also available.

Currently storing approximately 3 million specimens in a state-of-the-art repository which includes more than 110 energy-efficient ultra-low temperature freezers and a recently acquired automated liquid nitrogen freezer. The biobank also houses laboratories equipped to support all required biorepository tasks, including sample aliquoting.

The data coordinating center and AgingResearchBiobank website are hosted within a Computer Center that complies with FISMA and is independently assessed at the moderate level. Multiple Authority To Operate memoranda (ATOs) have been issued by the NIH and CDC. The Computer Center is also used for preparing, storing, and distributing over 400 TBs of data and images.

Offerings

  • Human Materials Available: Biospecimens, associated phenotypic and clinical data, genetic data, OMICs data, imaging data such as MRIs, X-Ray, and neuroimaging.
  • Specific Types of Human Biospecimens: Urine, 24-hour urine, spot urine, adipose tissue, buffy coat, DNA, muscle tissue, plasma, plasma citrate, plasma EDTA, serum, whole blood, cerebrospinal fluid, packed cells, packed red blood cells, PBMC, PAXgene, cell pellet, buccal cell pellet, cryopreserved cells, EBV-B cells, EBV-B cell pellet.
  • Animal Materials Available: Biospecimens, associated data, imaging data, behavioral data videos.
  • Specific Types of Animal Biospecimens: Plasma, feces, tissue (adrenal, brain, white and brown adipose tissue, eye, gastrocnemius muscle, heart, kidney, liver, lung, ovary, skin-pinna, spleen, testicle).
  • 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.

Major Instrumentation

See above under Description. Additionally, utilize the BioShare framework to develop a custom web system for searching and requesting de-identified human biospecimens, images, and clinical and sequencing datasets originating from these valuable clinical and longitudinal studies on aging (the vast majority heavily focused on chronic conditions).

This system stores the de-identified images and datasets from these studies and makes them available to the broader scientific community upon research application approval for secure download and use in conducting further promising research and analyses.

User Guidelines

Resources (biospecimens, data, images) are available to qualified investigators/institutions worldwide through an Open Biobank Program.

Access to these resources is subject to a scientific review by a Biobank Scientific Review Committee. Following approval, access is also subject to the signing of a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) protecting the rights of all parties.

Requests To Access Resources: https://agingresearchbiobank.nia.nih.gov/how-to-make-a-request/

Submissions for Deposit of Study Collections: https://agingresearchbiobank.nia.nih.gov/submit-datasets/

Fee for retrieval and shipment of approved requests available at: https://agingresearchbiobank.nia.nih.gov/costs/

Publications

  • Ryan CP, Corcoran DL, Banskota N, Eckstein Indik C, Floratos A, Friedman R, Kobor MS, Kraus VB, Kraus WE, MacIsaac JL, Orenduff MC, Pieper CF, White JP, Ferrucci L, Horvath S, Huffman KM, Belsky DW. The CALERIE Genomic Data Resource. Nat Aging. 2025 Feb;5(2):320-331. doi: 10.1038/s43587-024-00775-0. Epub 2024 Dec 13. PMID: 39672986.
  • Odden MC, Li Y, Jotwani V, Dobrota S, Tan AX, Cummings SR, Shlipak MG, Scherzer R, Ix JH, Buckwalter MS, Tranah GJ. Joint and Individual Mitochondrial DNA Variation and Cognitive Outcomes in Black and White Older Adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2024 Sep 1;79(9):glae170. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glae170. PMID: 39007867; PMCID: PMC11345514.
  • Fielding RA, Atkinson EJ, Aversa Z, White TA, Heeren AA, Mielke MM, Cummings SR, Pahor M, Leeuwenburgh C, LeBrasseur NK. Biomarkers of Cellular Senescence Predict the Onset of Mobility Disability and Are Reduced by Physical Activity in Older Adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2024 Mar 1;79(3):glad257. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glad257. PMID: 37948612; PMCID: PMC10851672.

Keywords

Aging Research BioBankAgingResearchBiobankNIANIHbiobankbiologic specimenbiorepositorybiospecimendatadata repositoryimagesrepositorybiobankingaspirinhormone therapytestosteronephysical activityinflammationcaloric restrictionmenopausedeliriumdementiacognitive declinebone mineral densitymobilityfracturesosteoarthritisosteoporosischronic conditionsbiomarkers of aginglongevityagingdatasetssamplestissuespecimen