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How to Make a Request
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You must be a registered user on the AgingResearchBiobank website to access and use the request system. All requests to access materials (biospecimens, data, and/or images) MUST be submitted a P.I./Senior Researcher who:
- Is a permanent employee of their institution(s) at a level equivalent to, at a minimum, a tenure-track professor or senior researcher. This does not include lab technicians or trainees, e.g. post-docs or graduate students.
- Has oversight responsibility for others named on the request who will be granted access to the data.
- Is accountable for ensuring that all aspects of biospecimen, image, and/or data usage align with the terms of our transfer agreements (OHRTA/OHDTA) and institutional policy.
- ► Note: Data access requestors’ responsibilities cannot be delegated.
For requesting Biospecimens, Data, and/or Images, you must be registered and logged in. Click here to register/login. There are two ways to start a request:
- Search for a study from our list of Currently Available Collections, and then use the Request button on the study page.
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Use the Requests Menu:
- To request biospecimens, data, and/or images, select Request For Materials.
- To request a letter of biospecimen availability to be attached to a grant proposal, select Request Letter of Biospecimen Availability.
For a Letter of Biospecimen Availability, please complete all required fields to the best of your ability at the present time. Information that is only applicable after availability is known can be indicated in the field as appropriate. Please allow up to six weeks for the Biobank to provide such letter.
You will need to complete the required fields in the online request form and provide the following documentation before your request is reviewed by our scientific review committees:
- Protocol (See Glossary for more information)
- IRB Approval or waiver (not required for animal studies)
- Collaborator Attestation (see example)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume
- Proof of Funding (Biospecimen Requests Only)
Please note that if any collaborators who will have access to the materials (biospecimens, data, and/or images) are employed by a different institution, they will need to submit a separate request for accessing these materials, provide a Signing Official from their own institution, and sign a separate agreement. In that case, please refer to the originating request in that separate request.
Requests will only be reviewed if all of the required documentation noted above has been submitted. The documents submitted will be examined to ensure compliance with NIA requirements prior to the scientific review. If documents are missing, your submitted request will not be reviewed by our scientific review committees until the documentation is complete.
The review process can take several weeks, and a decision will be additionally delayed if the committee has questions about any details in the submission or proposed analysis plan. Requests should be submitted early enough to allow sufficient time for this review, and if necessary, for any responses to the committee's questions.
If your request is approved, an agreement (Outgoing Human Resources Transfer Agreement (OHRTA) or Outgoing Human Data Transfer Agreement (OHDTA)) will need to be signed by the P.I. and the institution's signing official, a process that may take additional time. As with the review process, please plan accordingly. These agreements will expire in 12 months, but can be renewed if additional time is needed for completion of the approved research project. Before the expiration date, you will be required to sign a renewal or a Certificate of Data Destruction attesting that you have destroyed the downloaded data. If applicable, you will also be required to dispose of any remaining biospecimens.
Please note that the agreement you will sign explicitly applies to the research that you describe in your request and that is reviewed and approved by NIA. Any additional research questions not included in the original request must be submitted and approved by NIA before the new analysis begins and may require a new OHRTA/OHDTA. Questions about additional research can be submitted as comments in your request or emailed to AgingResearchBiobank@imsweb.com.
Please contact the AgingResearchBiobank should you have any questions about the requests.