CTSA News

Since it was established in 2013, the NIH-funded NeuroBioBank (NBB) has served as a national resource for investigators to use post-mortem human brain tissue and related biospecimens. The NBB network distributes samples nationwide to members of the research community studying neurological, developmental, and psychiatric disorders. Now, with the support of the University of Iowa Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) Biomedical Informatics (BMI) team, the Iowa Neuropathology Resource Laboratory (INRL), the University of Iowa’s brain bank supported by the Carver College of Medicine, is part of the NBB network.

The INRL will become just the seventh member of the brain bank network, joining institutions such as Harvard University, Mount Sinai, and the University of Pittsburgh, among others. Each of these institutions' brain banks has a responsibility to accurately catalog, store, and distribute tissues to investigators to advance research projects. The contract with the NBB gives the INRL that same prestigious responsibility and honor. The INRL will be the only member of the brain bank network hailing from the Midwest, providing researchers with access to rural populations and environmental exposures that were previously not included in the NBB’s repertoire.

To gain a contract with the NBB, there are specific requirements. One of those requirements is having a laboratory information system (LIMS). The University of Iowa’s specific LIMS is called UI BioShare. This system manages and houses biospecimen data alongside clinically annotated data, keeping all necessary data together. Asher Hoberg, Clinical Research Data Services Lead on the BMI team, shares the highlights of the UI BioShare: “Since there is one tool across many studies, LIMS provides the ability for prospective collaborators to search the entire system and see what is available on our campus.” The system also allows researchers to control who has access to their data, what type of data they can access, and when.

It was Hoberg and the BMI team who helped the INRL team to integrate the NBB requirements into the LIMS necessary to acquire the contract with the NBB. Because of the previously established infrastructure of the system supported by ICTS’ BMI team, they were able to quickly build an example study in UI BioShare that the INRL team could share with the NIH during their site visit to exemplify how the system would effectively work within the context of NBB’s existing workflows. The LIMS will allow researchers to sort through INRL’s over 500 donated brains, most of which are the result of INRL’s unique partnership with the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner and the Iowa Donor Network.

Now that the contract with the NBB has been acquired, Hoberg and team will continue to play a role in the INRL’s success. “We will provide support through data loads, access provision, and any other types of help that they may need,” Hoberg shared.

The NBB will provide researchers with the tools and resources they need to make new discoveries in healthcare. Hoberg and the BMI group are glad to be part of the team. “We are so excited that INRL was selected and look forward to continuing to work with the team in the future,” he said.