Browsing by Author "Jackson, Jacqueline M."

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    NCRAD: Academic Biorepository to Support Standardization and Efficacy of Clinical Research Biospecimens for the Advancement of AD/ADRD Research
    (Wiley, 2025-01-03) Snoddy, Casey; Faber, Kelley M.; Lacy, Kaci; Jackson, Jacqueline M.; Foroud, Tatiana M.; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine
    Background: NCRAD is a National Institute on Aging (NIA) cooperative grant, awarded to Indiana University since 1990, whose purpose is to serve as a biorepository for AD/ADRD researchers. With 74 participating across 150 unique institutions, NCRAD links specimens to clinical research data. NCRAD maintains over 2 million aliquots from more than 126,000 research participants spanning a wide range of AD/ADRD related phenotypes as well as healthy controls. Method: To ensure standardization and uniformity, NCRAD develops a manual of procedures specific to each study protocol that includes detailed pictures, schematics, and flow charts for each sample type collected. NCRAD conducts web‐based training for site staff and provides supplemental training videos to ensure Researchers receiving samples from NCRAD agree to share the data generated from the samples. Since its inception, NCRAD has distributed over 410,000 samples to more than 200 researchers. NCRAD biospecimens and data have been reported in more than 850 publications. Result: NCRAD’s mission is to maintain uniformity in collection and processing of samples sites involved in each study. Centralized biobanking and broad sharing of biospecimens has accelerated research discovery. Conclusion: Using standardized biospecimen collection, processing, shipping, storage, and distribution procedures established at NCRAD, in conjunction with attention to detail, strict compliance with regulations, and oversight from the NIA, has resulted in a biorepository with highest quality samples available to researchers investigating the etiology, early detection and therapeutic development for AD/ADRD.
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    Neurodegeneration Focused Biorepositories: NCRAD, BioSEND, MJFF
    (Wiley, 2025-01-09) Edler, Michael C.; Lacy, Kaci; Snoddy, Casey; Mitchell, Colleen M.; Case, K. Rose; Hobbick, Chris; Nudelman, Kelly N.; Hamer, Jan; Wegel, Claire; Faber, Kelley M.; Jackson, Jacqueline M.; Foroud, Tatiana M.; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine
    Background: Biorepositories play an integral role in the advancement of our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and improving human health outcomes. Research efforts are accelerated when access to high‐quality clinical specimens is made available from a large, diverse participant group. Indiana University is home to three important neurodegenerative disease‐focused biorepositories including the NIA‐funded National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD), the NINDS‐funded Biospecimen Exchange for Neurological Disorders (BioSEND), and the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) biorepository. Having all three repositories in one location presents a unique opportunity to leverage common protocols and shared resources to provide researchers with access to a wide breadth of specimens, facilitating broad specimen sharing and standardization across studies and repositories. Method: All three repositories provide exceptional data and study coordination, data management, scientific support, and technical resources. Uniform best practice standard operating procedures (SOPs) and materials for collection and processing of samples yield consistently high‐quality specimens across studies from all repositories. Banked specimen types include DNA, RNA, whole blood, plasma, serum, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, stool, brain tissue, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), fibroblasts, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Online catalogs are available for specimen selection along with project management that can assist in the selection and approval of specimens across studies and repositories. Result: Among the three repositories, over 4 million specimen aliquots from more than 150 studies have been banked. This collection represents over 142,000 unique participants across a diverse array of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Frontotemporal Dementia, Lewy Body Dementia, Concussion, Traumatic Brain Injury, Huntington’s Disease, Spinocerebellar Ataxia and other neurodegenerative proteinopathies. More than 600,000 specimen aliquots have been distributed to over 370 investigators, resulting in almost 1,000 publications. Conclusion: NCRAD, BioSEND, and MJFF serve as crucial resources for investigators requiring high‐quality clinical specimens collected and processed in accordance with best practice SOPs. The centralized location at Indiana University provides the opportunity to synergize and align common study objectives to provide shared resources with broader sample diversity, increased statistical power, improved reproducibility, and enhanced opportunities for broad specimen sharing, thereby fostering collaborative research initiatives.