Background
The Duke HIV Research Database and Repository has served as an immense resource to conduct translational and clinical research at Duke University since it was first developed in 1998. As one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind, the biorepository contains over 70,000 plasma samples on patients with HIV in longitudinal follow-up (median: 12 years) and remains the only clinical biorepository at Duke that exclusively includes HIV-infected persons.
Treatment strategies for HIV and its complications evolve as our understanding of the disease improves, and as our HIV-infected patients live longer. The epidemiology of HIV has gradually shifted away from AIDS-related illnesses to instead focus on HIV comorbidities such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and liver disease, which now constitute the leading causes of death in HIV-infected patients. As a result, significant interest has been generated across funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, to investigate pathogenesis of these HIV-associated, non-AIDS related conditions. The clinical investigator community has multiple research applications utilizing this resource, including but not limited to successful ongoing projects and grants. The Duke HIV biorepository has aided a host of multidisciplinary research projects combining the field of infectious diseases with cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, oncology, hepatology and gastroenterology, endocrinology, and aging.
Accessing the Biorepository
The Duke HIV Database and Repository serves a diverse group of investigators both internally and externally. As a Duke Core Research Facility, the biorepository resides within the Department of Medicine with Dr. Susanna Naggie as the Principal Investigator. Although the biorepository holds >70,000 plasma samples, each individual sample is unique and thus requests for usage must be reviewed and considered on the basis of merit and potential for scientific contribution.
To ensure an effective, transparent process for reviewing requests, we maintain an oversight committee representing multiple institutes and departments at Duke. The committee employs the following peer-reviewed approach to assess all requests for both biospecimens and database information.
- Three primary reviewers are assigned to each proposal
- Proposals are discussed on 1-hour conference call to the full committee on an as needed-basis.
- Use of database resource will be approved or denied via email response
For more information or to request Duke HIV biorepository data and/or specimens, please request a consultation with the CFAR Clinical Core.
Operations and Logistics
The biorepository is housed with The OneDukebio Integrated biospecimen Network (ODIN), a shared resource created in 2021 that provides full-service biospecimen allocation and management. All specimens undergo de-identification, bar-coding, and 24/7 monitoring in accordance with stringent GLP/GMP standards. ODIN is located in the Snyderman Building (Genome Science Research Building I) on the medical campus of Duke University (595 LaSalle St, Durham, NC), occupying approximately 3000 square feet and in MSRBIII. Rooms housing freezers are equipped with alarm systems for each freezer, emergency power, and two-fold redundant environmental control systems (air conditioning). Access to the facility is controlled by magnetic card-activated door locks, ensuring sample security, confidentiality, and GCLP compliance.
Rates
All research users have a $20.00 per-sample fee.
Additional fees for more involved data requisition services to accompany Biorepository samples can be discussed with investigators based on the scope of their proposed project.