Baby Biobank Extension 2024

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  342055

• Research summary

  Baby Biobank

• REC name

  East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  24/EM/0080

• Date of REC Opinion

  7 May 2024

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  The Baby Bio Bank has been established by two London Universities, University College London and Imperial College London
  It is a resource for investigating the four main complications of pregnancy which collectively affect about 20% of families trying to conceive:

  The Baby Bio Bank is a collection of over 50,000 biological samples with associated clinical data available for research into pregnancy complications.

  The Biobank has collected blood and tissues from:
  • 204 pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction
  • 298 pregnancies complicated with recurrent miscarriage
  • 373 pregnancies delivered before 37 weeks gestation
  • 140 pregnancies complicated with pre-eclampsia

  The biobank holds samples, including DNA, from both parents and the proband. Maternal samples were collected once during pregnancy from the 8th week gestation through to delivery.

  In addition the Biobank has collated clinical data for these pregnancies, including birth centiles, gestation, ethnicity, smoking and alcohol consumption, previous medical and obstetric history.

  The Baby Bio Bank is available for experts to access from anywhere in the world, forming a unique resource which will greatly help with both prevention and treatment of pregnancy complications.

• Research programme

  About 20% of pregnancies are affected by some form of complication. Research has shown that anomalies in implantation, development, and growth of the fetus; ineffective nutrient exchange between mother and fetus due to placental dysfunction; and maternal problems such as hypertension or infection during pregnancy can all lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the causes of such events remains poorly understood. Fetal growth restriction, recurrent miscarriage, preterm birth, and pre-eclampsia are the most common pregnancy complications encountered in the UK and these outcomes can result in morbidities in both mother and baby, and in the most severe cases in mortality. We need to know more about normal pregnancy and where the important triggers are for failure. The Baby Biobank sample sets are availably to researchers in academia and industry, with the intention that their widespread use in research will make significant contributions to the improvement of maternal and fetal health worldwide.

• Storage license

  12220

• RTBTitle

  Baby Biobank

• Establishment organisation

  UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health

• Establishment organisation address

  30 Guilford Street

  London

  WC1N 1EH