Assessing Partnered Research Study Feasibility Using the All of Us Biospecimen Table

Table of Contents

• Overview 
• Access to Biospecimen Table 
• Using Biospecimen table for X01 Announcement 
• Data Details and Format 

  • Biobank Sample Procedures and Protocols 

• Recommendations and Resources 

The All of Us Research Program continues to grow by creating new opportunities for researchers and participants to further enhance the All of Us dataset through partnered research studies. To unlock the full potential of the All of Us Research Program and accelerate precision medicine, researchers may leverage partnered research studies to analyze stored participant biospecimens and integrate the resulting data with the program’s robust genomic, environmental, lifestyle, digital health, and clinical datasets.

Overview 

All of Us researchers can access biospecimen tables within the Researcher Workbench. These data will allow prospective partnered research studies to assess the feasibility of their proposed analyses. Throughout this resource outlining information on biospecimen tables, there is a biospecimen table subset specific for X01 Notice of Funding Opportunity (PAR-27-069) applicants to use for their analysis and application to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (more information below). Overall, the biospecimen tables can also support objective validation efforts, including verifying self-reported conditions, confirming EHR-based diagnoses, and providing ground truth for analyses involving digital health or wearable data.

Access to Biospecimen Table

The biospecimen table is accessible to registered users of Researcher Workbench in the All of Us Controlled Tier Data (CDR) Collection. To access biospecimen data, users must have Controlled Tier access and work in the Researcher Workbench, powered by Verily Pre. For guidance on creating a workbench account, please see the registration information provided here. Once you have access to the Controlled Tier dataset, a tutorial walkthrough of accessing and using the biospecimen table with data can be found in the workspace All of Us Tutorial CDR version 9 Workspace: A Guide to Using Biospecimen Tables. Additional support materials will be provided with future CDR releases. 

Using Biospecimen Table for X01 NOFO

The All of Us Research Program has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (PAR-27-069) titled “Accelerating Discovery through Partnered Research with All of Us to Analyze Participant Biospecimens” through the X01 Resource Access Award mechanism. The X01 mechanism opens access to partnered research studies and participant-donated biospecimens stored in the All of Us supported Biobank. Applicants for this NOFO are encouraged to use the biospecimen tables as part of their feasibility assessment and cohort creation. Please note when reviewing the data that only serum, plasma, and genomic DNA biospecimen types are eligible for this X01 Research Access Award. See here for more information about the X01 opportunity. 

Please note, the All of Us Research Program reserves the right to make final cohort decisions and/or withhold the release of biospecimens. This includes, but may not be limited to, withholding the release of self-identified American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) biospecimens. For more information on All of Us’s commitment to Tribal Nations, please visit the All of Us Tribal Engagement webpage.

Data Details and Format

The biospecimen tables include information on samples from over 594,000 participants processed and stored at the All of Us Biobank (Mayo Clinic’s Minnesota site), including availability of genomic DNA from blood and saliva, serum, and plasma samples, as well as sample collection dates. Additional samples will be included with future data releases. 

As of September 2026, a version of the table is included as an off-cycle release (e.g., standalone dataset) for use in both CDR version 8 and 9 Controlled Tier datasets.  Participant information in both CDR datasets align with the CDR version 9 cut-off date. Details about the tables and accompanying available fields can be found in the corresponding CDR Controlled Tier version data dictionaries and release notes.

The CDR version 9 table contains information about the following specimen types: plasma, serum, genetic DNA, white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), whole blood, and RNA. The CDR version 8 table contains information about only plasma, serum, and genetic DNA.

Samples in the datasets correspond to participants who also contributed EHR data, genomics data, physical measurements, and completed the three core surveys: The Basics, Lifestyle, and Overall Health. 

The biospecimen table is available as a structured table within the All of Us Controlled Tier data collection in the Researcher Workbench under the path C_V9_R6_aou_biospecimen.aou_sample_biospecimen for CDRv9 and C_V8_R4_aou_biospecimen.aou_sample_biospecimen for CDRv8. See Getting Started in the Researcher Workbench to learn more about adding a data collection to your workspace. 

Biobank Sample Procedures and Protocols

The All of Us Biobank, operated through the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is responsible for the storage and management of biospecimens used in the generation of All of Us genomic data and for broader research use. 

Participant blood, saliva, and/or urine are collected by our All of Us partners and sent to the All of Us Biobank for further processing and storage. Samples collected by All of Us partners and stored by the All of Us Biobank adhere to standardized collection and storage protocols, as described in the All of Us Program protocol here. All samples, like blood or saliva, are prepared at the place where they are collected. The program then keeps the samples at 4ºC during transport to the Mayo Clinic's Biobank, where they are processed or divided into smaller portions, frozen (-80ºC), and stored safely. Whole blood samples are stored at LN2 condition, with the LN2 set point at -160ºC.

The All of Us Biobank processes the collection tubes, and stores various aliquot types from each collection tube. Aliquot types include the following: 

• Plasma
• Serum
• DNA
• RNA
• WBC
• RBC
• Whole Blood + DMSO
• Urine

Details about the sample collection and storage conditions by sample type are available in the Biospecimen Protocols and Datasets Specification document linked below. Note, some samples may not be available in the first iterations of the biospecimen tables in the Researcher Workbench. 

Recommendations and Resources

Prior to using the All of Us biospecimen table, we recommend familiarizing yourself with the All of Us dataset and structure in the Researcher Workbench. A variety of resources can be found on the User Support Hub and in Featured Workspaces. Additionally, to support the feasibility of your proposed study, we recommend oversampling your cohort by 10% to help ensure biospecimen availability at the Biobank. Sample availability may vary over time, as biospecimens are released on a rolling basis and may already be in use by other study teams.

To learn more about existing partnered research studies and the X01 NOFO, see information on the Research Hub here. 

• Biospecimen protocols and dataset specifications.pdf200 KB