Shared Resources

The BioMe Biobank contains the largest collection of DNA and plasma samples for research studies at Mount Sinai. Large-scale genomic data is stored in the Biobank, allowing research to be performed on de-identified clinical information from the Mount Sinai Health System’s data warehouse (MSDW) system while maintaining patient confidentiality. The MSDW contains all inpatient and outpatient data in the Epic Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system, supporting high-throughput genotyping and phenotyping of diseases. The goal is to integrate patient clinical care information and research data. Observational epidemiologic studies of children have grown in the past decade in response to the increasing prevalence of childhood diseases including obesity, autism, and asthma, and environmental risk factors such as lead and pesticides. The technological ease of genotyping collected DNA samples has also led to studies of the genetic basis of childhood diseases. Enrolling children in the Mount Sinai Biobank Project could be useful for studies designed to understand the role genes play in disease and the effects of early childhood exposures and their environment.

MCHDI, in collaboration with the Charles R. Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine at Mount Sinai, is funding the collection of DNA samples from pediatric patients with allergies. A BioMe Biobank Clinical Research Coordinator is dedicated to enrolling patients from three mornings per week, with partial salary support coming from MCHDI. Since February 2012, the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute has recruited more than 940 enrollees. Patients, one day old or older, are eligible to donate samples by providing one-time blood samples from which DNA and plasma are subsequently extracted and stored. Participants are also asked to complete a family health history questionnaire detailing self and family disease history and environmental and occupational exposures. The pediatric cohort is comprised of samples from diverse racial and ethnic groups.

The Biorepository and Pathology CORE facility provides basic histology services including processing and embedding section fixed and frozen tissues from animal or human sources. The facility will prepare unstained slides suitable for a variety of applications as outlined below.

It also currently supports functions for tissue procurement, both from consented and anonymized collections. Pathologists in charge of procurement can be contacted for consultations to determine investigator requirements for human tissues in translational research.