Building a Population Representative Pediatric Biobank: Lessons Learned From the Greater Cincinnati Childhood Cohort

Background: Biobanks can accelerate research by providing researchers with samples and data. However, hospital-based recruitment as a source for controls may create bias as who comes to the hospital may be different from the broader population. Methods: In an effort to broadly improve the quality of research studies and reduce costs and challenges associated with recruitment and sample collection, a group of diverse researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center led an institution-supported initiative to create a population representative pediatric “Greater Cincinnati Childhood Cohort (GCC).” Participants completed a detailed survey, underwent a brief physician-led physical exam, and provided blood, urine, and hair samples. DNA underwent high-throughput genotyping. Results: In total, 1,020 children ages 3–18 years living in the 7 county Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan region were recruited. Racial composition of the cohort was 84% non-Hispanic white, 15% non-Hispanic black, and 2% other race or Hispanic. Participants exhibited marked demographic and disease burden differences by race. Overall, the cohort was broadly used resulting in publications, grants and patents; yet, it did not meet the needs of all potential researchers. Conclusions: Learning from both the strengths and weaknesses, we propose leveraging a community-based participatory research framework for future broad use biobanking efforts.