Methods and Applications of Statistics in Clinical Trials, Volume 1: Concepts, Principles, Trials, and Designs

Chapter 29

DNA Bank

Theru A. Sivakurmaran and Sudha K. Iyengar

29.1 Definition and Objectives of DNA Biobanks

DNA bank, also known as DNA biobank or Biobank, is an organized collection of DNA or biological samples, such as blood plasma, and so on, that are used to isolate DNA. These warehouses also contain information about the donor of the material, such as demographic characteristics, the type of disease associated with the sample, the outcome of the disease, treatment, and so on. According the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) policy statement [1], a DNA bank is defined as a facility to store DNA for future analysis. The American National Bioethics Advisory commission defined a DNA bank as a facility that stores extracted DNA, transformed cell lines, frozen blood or other tissue or biological materials for future DNA analysis [2]. Although many types of DNA banks are available (described below), this article focuses mainly on the DNA banks that are meant for human genome research (i.e., academic laboratory DNA banks, population-based public DNA biobanks, and commercial biobanks). Population-based public or national DNA biobanks represent a new paradigm for biomedical research and differ from traditional academic laboratory DNA banks in several aspects. The public or commercial DNA biobanks that obtain samples may not be engaged in research but may be only intermediary brokers who supply specimens to other researchers. They act as repositories that can be used for many ...