Human Biospecimen Procurement Protocol: Biorepository to Support Translational Research to Identify Disease Mechanism(s)

The diversity of human research programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides a unique opportunity to study different patient populations with monogenetic and undiagnosed diseases with vascular implications. Patient populations with mutations in almost every major signaling pathway related to cardiovascular diseases are actively investigated at the NIH Clinical Center. The purpose of this protocol is to obtain and analyze human biospecimens from affected and unaffected cohorts (as reference biospecimens) to identify genetic etiology and/or underlying disease mechanism(s) in rare genetic vascular/cardiovascular conditions. The collections will consist of biospecimens obtained from participants consented under this protocol and will also provide for the continued storage and analysis of biospecimens previously obtained from NIH Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved protocols, or from NIH protocols nearing completion. The biospecimens collected under this protocol will include blood (plasma, serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)), saliva, buccal mucosa, urine, and skin biopsies. Additional biospecimens collected under other protocols may also be transferred to this protocol, including, tissue and fluid aspirates (cerebrospinal fluid, ascites, etc.), bone marrow, urine, saliva, skin biopsies, surgical tissue waste, malignant and non-malignant tissue samples, and/or other direct derivatives from human tissues (i.e. DNA, RNA, and induced pluripotent stems cells). Post-delivery umbilical cord core blood and cord tissue waste will be collected at the time of delivery under this protocol and/or shared if obtained under other protocols. Biospecimens may also be obtained as shared samples of clinically indicated procedures done inside or outside NIH, provided the subject consents to this protocol.

The primary objective of this protocol is to create a robust resource to support basic and translational research by providing a mechanism for collecting, tracking, storing, dispensing, analyzing, and disposing of laboratory research samples from affected and unaffected cohorts. This research will advance high-quality research in the areas of genetics and personalized medicine.

As this is not a treatment protocol, there is no primary endpoint. Research studies will include, but not be limited to, genomic studies, primary cell isolation and cell culture studies for molecular and biochemical analysis, immunohistological analysis, generation of patient-specific in vitro disease models (i.e. IPSCs), etc. As science is a continuously evolving field, technological advances in research methods will be incorporated into research studies accordingly.