The Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project: 2008 Scientific Update and Lessons Learned in the First 6 Years

Abstract

The Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project is the largest population-based biobank in the USA, with the ability to recontact subjects to obtain additional information to facilitate gene–environment studies. Nearly 20,000 adults have enrolled in the Personalized Medicine Research Project since 2001, after providing active written consent to access their Marshfield Clinic medical records to define phenotype and providing blood samples from which DNA, plasma and serum samples were stored. Numerous studies are underway in the area of pharmacogenetics and genetic epidemiology. In addition to the scientific discoveries being made, much has been learned regarding biobanking and the management of large amounts of data being generated. The purpose of this paper is to share the advice provided by the external Scientific Advisory Board and the scientific lessons learned along the way to build this research infrastructure and facilitate its use.

Keywords: :

• biobank
• genetic epidemiology
• methods
• pharmacogenetics

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Dr Laura Coleman and Bickol Mukesh for their contributions to the analysis of the dietary intake data.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The research was funded, in part, by grant number 1 D1A RH00025-01 from the Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, from the Department of Commerce (WI, USA) and grant number 1UL1RR025011 from the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program of the National Center for Research Resource National Institute of Health. The members of the PMRP Scientific Advisory Board include: David Altshuler, MD, PhD, Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MA, USA), Chair; David Flockhart, MD, PhD, Indiana University (IN, USA); Stephen Liggett, MD, University of Maryland (MD, USA); Gabor Marth, DSc, Boston College (MA, USA); Jurg Ott, PhD, Rockefeller University (NY, USA); Lenna Peltonen, MD, PhD, Biomedicum Helsinki (Helsinki, Finland); Wendell Weber, MD, PhD, University of Michigan (MI, USA). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The research was funded, in part, by grant number 1 D1A RH00025-01 from the Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, from the Department of Commerce (WI, USA) and grant number 1UL1RR025011 from the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program of the National Center for Research Resource National Institute of Health. The members of the PMRP Scientific Advisory Board include: David Altshuler, MD, PhD, Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MA, USA), Chair; David Flockhart, MD, PhD, Indiana University (IN, USA); Stephen Liggett, MD, University of Maryland (MD, USA); Gabor Marth, DSc, Boston College (MA, USA); Jurg Ott, PhD, Rockefeller University (NY, USA); Lenna Peltonen, MD, PhD, Biomedicum Helsinki (Helsinki, Finland); Wendell Weber, MD, PhD, University of Michigan (MI, USA). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.