The Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project: 2008 scientific update and lessons learned in the first 6 years

The Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project is the largest population-based biobank in the USA, with the ability to recontact subjects to obtain additional information to facilitate gene-environment studies. Nearly 20,000 adults have enrolled in the Personalized Medicine Research Project since 2001, after providing active written consent to access their Marshfield Clinic medical records to define phenotype and providing blood samples from which DNA, plasma and serum samples were stored. Numerous studies are underway in the area of pharmacogenetics and genetic epidemiology. In addition to the scientific discoveries being made, much has been learned regarding biobanking and the management of large amounts of data being generated. The purpose of this paper is to share the advice provided by the external Scientific Advisory Board and the scientific lessons learned along the way to build this research infrastructure and facilitate its use.