A Biorepository for Research in Child Health

We propose to create an African biorepository and linked comprehensive database to support cross-disciplinary research that advances child health.

The biorepository will consolidate >527,000 samples and data from three ongoing large population-based studies: (i) Drakenstein Child Health Study, a birth cohort with samples from parents, children and the environment collected antenatally through childhood; (ii) paediatric tuberculosis studies with samples longitudinally collected over 15-years; and (iii) Cape Town Adolescent Antiretroviral Cohort, a study of HIV-infected adolescents on antiretroviral-therapy and uninfected controls investigating development and determinants of chronic disease.

Ongoing prospective data and sample collection for the next 5-years, in these and other child health studies, will substantially grow this facility (>732,000 samples).

The facility will support several Wellcome Trust grantees and serve as a platform for cross-disciplinary research, linking metadata and samples to different databases (demographic, clinical, radiological, microbiological, genetic, transcriptomic, environmental, immunological, psychosocial). A key focus is on infectious exposures and development of non-communicable diseases, key priorities in African health.

A web interface will be created for investigators to access samples or datasets.

This resource will be invaluable for current and future collaborative research to advance child health and to provide African-specific data and samples.