The Johns Hopkins Biological Repository (JHBR)
The Service Center is able to provide Johns Hopkins University investigators with a variety of laboratory and repository services for conducting large or small scale epigenetic, natural history, clinical trial, prospective and case-control studies.
The JHBR Service Center provides, on a fee-for-service basis, a wide range of services including, but not limited to, phlebotomy, blood and other body fluid collection, specimen fractionation and processing, testing, storage, as well as DNA isolation, quantification, and concentration normalization
History of JHBR
Established in 1984, JHBR consists of 1,500 square feet of biosafety level 2 laboratories on the 6th floor of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH), as well as 6,000 square feet in an off site facility (3 miles from JHSPH) to house 60+ liquid nitrogen vapor phase cryogenic units. These units replaced the historic biological specimen storage of -80 degree C and -150 degree C mechanical freezers as part of JHSPH’s “Greening the Lab” initiative. JHBR manages more than two and a half million biological specimens using a robust specimen management system, FreezerworksTM for freezer inventory, specimen labeling and tracking for the large repository. Additionally, JHBR is certified by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) to perform HIV-1 viral load RT-PCR, HCV and HBV serological tests, and maintains participation in proficiency programs through College of American Pathology (CAP), American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB), and Virology Quality Assurance Program (VQA) for all expert testing services. Finally, JHBR is International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) compliant in its use of the automated DNA extraction and liquid handling platforms the QiaSymphony and QiAgility.
More than 40 studies are currently using JHBR services. Biological specimen deliveries are accepted 5 days per week, excluding University Holidays. National and local delivery services including FedEx priority overnight shipping and World Courier International Shipping can be coordinated to suit individual needs and the rates for services are often 25 percent lower than commercial biological services.
JHBR is ready to provide a one-stop shop for conducting research and clinical studies involving biological specimen collection, processing, storing and testing services.