For Participants

Current participants

Photo of a woman gardening

Thank you for participating in the Mayo Clinic Biobank. If you move, please let us know your new address so that we can stay in contact. Please call us at 507-293-0203 or 866-613-2386 (toll-free) or email us at biobank@mayo.edu.

Although volunteers are still accepted, recruitment to the Mayo Clinic Biobank, which took place between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2016, has now ended. During that period, the Biobank invited participation from people who met the following criteria:

  • At least 18 years old
  • A current or former patient at Mayo Clinic or Mayo Clinic Health System
  • Able to give informed consent
  • Living in the U.S.

Expectations

Participants are expected to:

  • Fill out a questionnaire about their health, lifestyle and family history
  • Give a sample of blood for long-term storage and analysis (which may include genetic analysis)
  • Allow Biobank staff to review past, present and future Mayo Clinic medical records

Compensation

Participants receive a choice of one or more items worth a total of $20.

Cost

Participants do not need to pay for tests and procedures done just for the Biobank.

Privacy

None of the samples you give to the Biobank are stored with your name, address, birth date, Mayo Clinic number or Social Security number on them.

If something is identified in your sample, a federal law, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, makes it illegal for employers and health insurers to use certain kinds of information about your genes to discriminate against you.

Future requests

In the future, participants may be:

  • Occasionally asked to fill out additional questionnaires — We are currently sending out a short (eight-page) follow-up questionnaire to all participants to find out about certain health conditions that may have developed since you first enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Biobank. You can expect to receive this questionnaire about four years after you enrolled. If you enrolled in 2011, you can expect to receive the questionnaire in 2015. If you enrolled in 2012, you will receive your questionnaire in 2016, and so on.
  • Occasionally asked to give additional blood samples.
  • Asked if they are interested in learning certain research results.
  • Asked to participate in other studies.

You will receive no more than two requests a year for additional information and samples or to participate in additional studies.

Participant communications

As enrollment in the Mayo Clinic Biobank expands and researchers continue to use samples and information from the Biobank for research studies, we will communicate updates to all participants in several ways:

  • Updates on studies using the Biobank are available.
  • Periodic updates about ongoing studies and outcomes of the Biobank are mailed to participants via our BioNews newsletter.
  • If direct contact with a participant is needed for any reason, the participant may receive a letter by mail or a phone call from Biobank staff.
  • For more information or to update your contact information, please contact the Biobank staff.

Study materials

See all study materials related to the Biobank.

Withdrawal

The Biobank is a resource meant to serve the research community for years, and there are no plans for it to end. By participating, you are agreeing to be a part of ongoing health research. Your donation enables researchers to examine the roots of disease for many years to come.

You have the right to leave the Biobank at any time. Please contact us to discuss concerns and the options you have for withdrawal.

If you would like to leave the Biobank, please fill out the withdrawal form and send it to us at:

Mayo Clinic Biobank
Harwick Building, Sixth Floor
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55905

Alternatively, you may contact us if you wish to leave the Biobank. You can reach us by phone at 507-293-0203 (Minnesota), 904-953-2504 (Florida) or 866-613-2386 (toll-free), or by email at biobank@mayo.edu.