Generation and validation of a universal perinatal database and biospecimen repository: PeriBank

Objective: There is a dearth of biospecimen repositories available to perinatal researchers. In order to address this need, here we describe the methodology used to establish such a resource. Study Design: With the collaboration of MedSci.net, we generated an online perinatal database with 847 fields of clinical information. Simultaneously, we established a biospecimen repository of the same clinical participants. Results: The demographic and clinical outcomes data are described for the first 10 000 participants enrolled. The demographic characteristics are consistent with the demographics of the delivery hospitals. Quality analysis of the biospecimens reveals variation in very few analytes. Furthermore, since the creation of PeriBank, we have demonstrated validity of the database and tissue integrity of the biospecimen repository. Conclusion: Here we establish that the creation of a universal perinatal database and biospecimen collection is not only possible, but allows for the performance of state-of-the-science translational perinatal research and is a potentially valuable resource to academic perinatal researchers.