“At the Center for Health Research, we can pair Kaiser Permanente’s high-quality clinical data with DNA and other biological specimens, thus greatly extending the reach and potential of our scientific work.”
Sheila Weinmann, PhD, MPH Epidemiologist, Distinguished Investigator
Overview
The Kaiser Permanente Research Bank (KPRB), Northwest (NW) Biobank, and Kaiser Permanente Northwest Tissue Library are resources for genetic, genomic, and proteomic research, as well as for research using electronic medical record (EMR) and participant survey data from KPRB members. Investigators can apply to use these materials for studies approved by the KPRB IRB.
Services
The Kaiser Permanente Research Bank (KPRB) is a shared resource for genetic research, as well as for research using EMR and participant survey data.
The KPRB facilitates cutting-edge research by making large-scale genetic, molecular, environmental, and health information available to scientists. The KPRB includes clinical data and blood samples from all eight KP regions, resulting in a large study population.
With more than 400,000 genotyped participants, the KPRB is one of the largest biobanks in the U.S. It enables research studies related to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. The KPRB uses the ThermoFisher PangenimiX Array for genotyping and includes three cohorts: General Cohort (~430K), Pregnancy Cohort (~25K), and Cancer Cohort (~90K).
The NW Biobank contains blood/DNA specimens on ~20,000 KP Northwest members diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other conditions. EMR data are also available for these participants.
The KPNW Tissue Library contains formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens and H&E slides from several million surgeries and biopsies dating back as far as the mid-1970s. They can be linked to EMR and administrative data, pathology reports, and the KPNW Tumor Registry. KPNW Center for Health Research staff can arrange for pathology review/block selection and slide preparation for NW Tissue Library specimens for IRB-approved funded studies.
Who is eligible?
Investigators from Tufts CTSI-affiliated institutions are eligible to access these resources. However, they must collaborate with at least one KP investigator per project. KPRB staff can help connect Tufts CTSI-affiliated investigators with outside and KP investigators for KPRB studies.
Contact
To contact us, please submit a service request.