Originally funded with a $9 million gift in 2006 from the Indianapolis-based Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, the Fairbanks Institute created a biorepository as a resource for research on chronic diseases of aging. INBankTM enrolled participants in what was at the time a unique long-term health study of type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease that linked biological samples with participants’ real-world medical histories, allowing tracking of the progression and complications of the disease over time.
The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) houses a replica of that biorepository of roughly 17,000 samples with the ability to connect those samples to longitudinal health records 10+ years post sample collection for purposes of research.
Research Use
The Fairbanks Institute Biorepository (NCT01386801, NCT00741416) was created as an extensively annotated sample repository for hypothesis-driven research that would lead to advances in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases affecting the population of Indiana. The study was conducted in accordance with Indiana University’s Internal Review Board (Protocol 1011003179: Multicenter Research Study to Build a Repository that will allow Researchers to Study Chronic Diseases in the Population of Central Indiana).
For an example of the type of research that can be performed using the Fairbanks Institute Biorepository, see M.J. Pugia, et. al. “Utilization of electronic health records for the assessment of adiponectin receptor autoantibodies during the progression of cardio-metabolic comorbidities,” Arch Autoimmune Dis. 2020 1(1): 17-27 doi: 10.46439/autoimmune.1.004
Back to Scientific Resources.
Collaborators
- Regenstrief Institute
- Indiana University School of Medicine