BioVU is a biobank of de-identified DNA samples and genetic data to fuel discovery. The “banked” DNA is from routine patient care-associated tests that would otherwise be discarded. The bank was developed as part of The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) and is intended for broad collaborative use. With over a decade of growth and refinement that enables the biobank to offer a wealth of deliverables and time saving operations to facilitate research.

If you are probing -omics contributions to disease risk, new interventions and therapeutics, prognostic markers or relations among phenotypes, BioVU can:

1. Expedite discovery with large sample size and existing samples and data from more than 300,000 samples (adult and pediatric)
2. Reveal new relationships among genetic signatures and health outcomes
3. Shrink the Internal Review Board (IRB) application by leveraging de-identified medical records linked to de-identified samples (de-identified subjects = non-human study determination)
4. Leverage over 2 million medical records and/or hundreds of thousands of DNA samples to deliver statistical power
5. Collaborate with researchers across other DNA banks

BioVU will take care of:

1. Collecting samples from otherwise discarded blood without disrupting clinical care to extract DNA
2. Banking DNA from consented patients to await researcher request
3. Linking DNA and genetic data to de-identified medical records of patients
4. Providing researcher datasets and DNA

Researchers from other institutions are welcomed to leverage the power of BioVU and will need to identify a Vanderbilt collaborator to get started. Collaboration is strongly encouraged to drive inclusion of diverse disciplines, conceptual models, and backgrounds of expertise and experience. BioVU may be able to help guide you toward collaborators and provide consultation for your project idea.

Contact the BioVU team at biovu@vanderbilt.edu for general questions, consultations, and other insights.

More information about BioVU.

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BioVU is Vanderbilt's biobank of DNA extracted from leftover and otherwise discarded clinical blood specimens. Investigators at VUMC and their collaborators (both internal and external) can leverage BioVU to make exciting clinical and translational health discoveries!