LGH Joins Penn Medicine BioBank
InFocus • Winter 2025 Issue • March 24, 2025
In response to the need for significant numbers of human biospecimens for research, the Penn Medicine BioBank (PMBB) was formally launched in 2013 under the Institute of Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT). In December 2024, Lancaster General Hospital joined Penn Medicine BioBank, making LGH the sixth hospital in the system to participate along with HUP Spruce and Cedar, Penn Medicine Rittenhouse, and Pennsylvania Hospital.
The PMBB protocol was established to collect and retain blood samples from consenting patients 18 years of age or older. The core features of consent include: 1) Provision of a blood sample for biobanking and broad use for data generation including genomic data and permission to bank any other residual tissues obtained in the context of clinical care; 2) Permission to access data from the EHR for the purpose of research; and 3) Permission to recontact participants for potential future studies or to return results.
The rollout of PMBB at LGH consisted of setting up a consenting process at the Heart Group, Family Medicine Lititz, and Family Medicine Lititz at Kissel Hill. Once patients have given consent to participate, an order is placed for collection of a BioBank sample for the patient's next scheduled visit for blood work collection. All of the LGH laboratory testing locations are participating in the collection process, with all samples being processed through the LGH Send Outs Department. Once samples are received at the PMBB, the samples are frozen at -80°. By cross referencing the participants' DNA through electronic health records, researchers have discovered genetic variants related to heart disease, hearing loss, diabetes, glaucoma, and muscular dystrophy, among other conditions. The collection and analysis of these samples are crucial for advancing disease research and developing life-saving treatments.
By including LGH in the process, the program will be expanded and diversified, reaching into different populations and demographics outside of the Philadelphia area. As of January 7, 2025, 473 LGH patients have responded YES to participation, 514 have responded NO, and 545 have chosen to defer at this time. A total of 5 BioBank samples for LGH Patients have been collected and sent to the PMBB.
Future initiatives include expanding patient consent locations and increasing sample collection from patients in more rural areas of Lancaster County.
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