Access to Biobank Committee (ABC)

To facilitate broad and appropriate use of biobank resources, the biobank has created the Access to Biobank Committee (ABC). The ABC is a dynamic group of University of Colorado faculty, staff, and UCHealth clinicians with broad and diverse research, regulatory and clinical expertise. 

Membership of the ABC is comprised of CCPM Leadership, CIDA analysts, Health Data Compass representatives, regulatory, and data experts, and where necessary, investigators with relevant subject expertise to the study proposal request(s). Representation from CCPM and other subject matter experts across the University of Colorado may be invited to the meetings as needed to supplement discussions and decision making.

The ABC has two overarching aims:

1. To serve as a consultative body for developing and implementing policies and processes to facilitate access to CCPM biobank resources (biological specimens, genotyping data, participant health information).
2. To be the review and decision decision-making body for investigators that have completed a study proposal for biological specimens, and limited data sets / PHI datasets.
   

Please note the below considerations before initiating requests. 

Affiliations: For researchers without a University of Colorado or UCHealth affiliate sponsor, contact ABC.assist@ucdenver.edu. We strive to connect investigators without sponsors to potential sponsors, such as new faculty or collaborators, whenever possible, while ensuring we do not overcommit our resources.

Agreements: Some requests may require the establishment Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) and Data Use Agreements (DUAs) to formalize the terms of data and sample usage. 

IRB: Depending on the nature of your request, the ABC might require a letter of approval/study start up from the reporting IRB prior to the final approval from the ABC for the release of data, samples, or participant recontact.

CCPM Consult: It’s advisable to consult with Health Data Compass (GDC) and/or the CCPM biobank team to understand any logistical  requirements for data and sample requests or contacting biobank participants for recruitments.

Costs: Access to biobank resources may involve fees. It's recommended to contact the CCPM biobank directly for detailed information on associated costs.

• Initial Request: Initiate a data delivery request through Health Data Compass. Please fill out this form to initiate your request. 
• Intake Meeting: Meet with Compass liaison and CCPM biobank team to discuss your data access request.
• Proposal Submission: Submit CCPM biobank Investigator Access Proposal to the Access to Biobank Committee (ABC). 
• ABC Proposal Review: ABC proposal review and access approval. This form must be filled out to initiate the ABC review process.
• Resource Delivery: Meet with CIDA resource delivery team to discuss genetic data delivery plan. 
• Resource Analysis: Receive CCPM biobank resources and begin analysis. 
• Annual Updates: Submit annual progress reports until the study has concluded.

Note: if you are affiliated with CU Anschutz or have a CU Anschutz sponsor and are requesting a cohort exploration, genotype coverage, or GWAS summary statistics, you may be eligible to bypass the ABC approval process. If this applies to you, please fill out this form.