Table of Contents
- Overview
- Access to Biospecimen Table
- Using Biospecimen table for X01 Announcement
- Data Details and Format
- 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 2.0 in the All of Us Controlled Tier Data (CDR) Collection. To access biospecimen data, users must have Controlled Tier access and work in the new Researcher Workbench 2.0, 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 in the v8 CDR can be found in the workspace All of Us Tutorial Workspace: A Guide to Using Biospecimen Tables (v8). 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 3a CDRv8 biospecimen table as part of their feasibility assessment and cohort creation. Only biospecimen types available in 3a CDR v8 table (serum, plasma and genetic DNA) are eligible for this X01 Research Access Award. As future CDRs are made available throughout the application period, the 3a CDR v8 table will be updated accordingly to align with the latest CDR. The estimated application due date is July 2026, with the estimated award date in November 2026. There may be other biospecimen tables available in the Researcher Workbench in future that are not applicable to X01 applicants.
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’ commitment to Tribal Nations, please visit the All of Us Tribal Engagement webpage.
Data Details and Format
The biospecimen table includes information on samples from over 370,000 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. All samples were obtained on or before the CDR cutoff date of October 1, 2023, and are included in the CDR v8 dataset. Participants who provided these biospecimens 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 2.0 under the path C_V8_R4_aou_biospecimen.aou_sample_biospecimen. See Getting Started in new Researcher Workbench 2.0 to learn more about adding a data collection to your workspace. Additional details, including filtering criteria of the biospecimen table, can be found in the release notes and data dictionary here.
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:
- Plasma
- Serum
- DNA
- RNA
- WBC
- RBC
- Whole Blood + DMSO
- Urine
The table below summarizes an overview of all sample collection and storage conditions by sample type. Note, some samples may not be available in the first iterations of the biospecimen tables in the Researcher Workbench. Additional details on storage conditions will be included in future biosample tables released to researchers in the Researcher Workbench. For complete information on sample eligibility criteria and storage requirements, refer to the protocol summary provided here.
| Sample Collection and Storage Methods | |
|---|---|
| Blood |
Participant blood is collected either on an on-site clinic visit at an HPO site, or direct volunteer (DV). Blood is collected via standard venipuncture using a winged butterfly needle or direct needle device, with care taken to prevent preservative backflow from PAXgene tubes. Tubes are drawn in a specified order and gently inverted after collection according to tube type. Tube draw order is as follows:
Note: A small percentage of samples (<1%) could have been derived from a diversion pouch blood-collection. |
| Urine |
Participant urine is collected on an on-site clinic visit at an HPO site or via direct volunteer (DV).Urine is collected using a labeled 120 mL urine collection cup and a labeled 10 mL BD Vacutainer no-additive urine tube. Participants provide an unwitnessed midstream sample (clean-catch not required) and are instructed to attempt to fill the cup to the ~60 mL fill line on the cup. Immediately after collection, staff transfer urine into the 10 mL tube using the cup’s integrated transfer device, allowing the vacuum to fill the tube to approximately 10 mL without removing the tube cap. The filled tube is retained for shipment, while excess urine and the collection cup are discarded according to site procedures. |
| Saliva |
Participant saliva is collected either on an on-site clinic visit at an HPO site via direct volunteer (DV) method at a participants home with a provided mailed saliva kit. Using the Oragene Dx OGD-500 saliva collection kit, participants are instructed to avoid eating, drinking, smoking, or chewing gum for 30 minutes before collection. The participant spits into the funnel until the liquid saliva (not bubbles) reaches the “FILL TO” line, then the funnel lid is firmly closed (until it clicks) to puncture the stabilizer seal and release stabilization liquid into the tube, which is allowed to fully drain in. The capped tube is sealed in the provided specimen bag (with absorbent pad left in place), placed into a bubble envelope, then boxed and sealed for shipment. |
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.
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