Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006;21(8):619-25.
doi: 10.1007/s10654-006-9041-x. Epub 2006 Sep 20.

The biobank of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study: a resource for the next 100 years

Kjersti S Rønningen  1 , Liv Paltiel, Helle M Meltzer, Rannveig Nordhagen, Kari K Lie, Ragnhild Hovengen, Margaretha Haugen, Wenche Nystad, Per Magnus, Jane A Hoppin
Affiliations

The biobank of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study: a resource for the next 100 years

Kjersti S Rønningen et al. Eur J Epidemiol. 2006.

Abstract

Introduction: Long-term storage of biological materials is a critical component of any epidemiological study. In designing specimen repositories, efforts need to balance future needs for samples with logistical constraints necessary to process and store samples in a timely fashion.

Objectives: In the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), the Biobank was charged with long-term storage of more than 380,000 biological samples from pregnant women, their partners and their children for up to 100 years.

Methods: Biological specimens include whole blood, plasma, DNA and urine; samples are collected at 50 hospitals in Norway. All samples are sent via ordinary mail to the Biobank in Oslo where the samples are registered, aliquoted and DNA extracted. DNA is stored at -20 degrees C while whole blood, urine and plasma are stored at -80 degrees C.

Results: As of July 2006, over 227,000 sample sets have been collected, processed and stored at the Biobank. Currently 250-300 sets are received daily. An important part of the Biobank is the quality control program.

Conclusion: With the unique combination of biological specimens and questionnaire data, the MoBa Study will constitute a resource for many future investigations of the separate and combined effects of genetic, environmental factors on pregnancy outcome and on human morbidity, mortality and health in general.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of sample collection strategies in MoBa.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Sample set from mothers at 17th–18th week of pregnancy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Smith GD, Ebrahim S, Lewis S, Hansell AL, Palmer LJ, Burton PR. Genetic epidemiology and public health: Hope, hype, and future prospects. Lancet. 2005;22:1484–1498. - PubMed
    1. Gunter EW. Biological and environmental specimental banking at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Review Chemosphere. 1997;34:1945–1953. - PubMed
    1. Ollier W, Sprosen T, Peakman T. UK Biobank: from concept to reality. Pharmacogenomics. 2005;6:639–646. - PubMed
    1. Eskenazi B, Gladstone EA, Berkowitz GS, et al. Methodological and logistic issues in conducting longitudinal birth cohort studies: Lessons learned from the Center for Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2005;113:1419–1429. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Magnus P, Irgens LM, Haug K, Nystad W, Skjærven R Stoltenberg and the MoBa Study Group. Cohort profile: The norwegian mother and child cohort study (MoBa) Int J Epidemiol. (in press) - PubMed

Publication types