The MURDOCK Biorepository includes thousands of biospecimens and associated clinical outcome data available to all Duke researchers. Samples are centrally managed in the OneDukeBio Integrated Network (ODIN).
Please complete this brief interest form as a first step. We will follow up as expeditiously as possible.
Duke investigators have used samples to:
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Accelerate research timelines
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Support pilot work to acquire follow-up funding
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Complement prospective study design and data collection
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Enable case-control studies
Founded in 2007, the MURDOCK Study Community Registry and Biorepository comprises 12,526 diverse research participants with biospecimens collected at baseline, annotated by associated baseline data and longitudinal follow-up of up to 14 years of outcomes data. Learn more with our one-page overview.
Key features of this renowned cohort include:
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Disease agnostic
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Reflects U.S. population
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25.7% non-white
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Socioeconomic data
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Geospatially mapped location linked to public datasets (e.g., U.S. Census)
The biorepository includes the following sample types, collected at baseline, stored frozen at -80°C:
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Plasma
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Whole Blood (DNA)
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Whole Blood (Paxgene RNA)
Additionally, there are samples previously shipped to collaborators at Duke that are managed as a localized biorepository by study PIs and teams.
Sample availability is subject to change and may be limited based on utilization. If samples cannot be sourced from our central biorepository in ODIN, we can explore feasibility across the network of biospecimens at Duke and connect with managing PIs.
Our goal is to meet a broad range of scientific interests and requirements for Duke investigators.
Research fueled by samples can be combined with or complement prospective study design and data collection. View our extensive Duke Kannapolis Research site capabilities.
The broad phenotypes included in the community-based MURDOCK cohort provide an excellent opportunity to study many different diseases and longitudinal outcomes, as well as identify matched controls.
Data have been organized into “storefronts” that summarize characteristics of a population of research interest (i.e., phenotypes), as well as available data and samples for that population. Storefronts include sources of data in the MURDOCK Study database, as well as important descriptions and definitions to help understand the data presented.
View the MURDOCK Study Storefronts to review and explore information for a selected list of phenotypes of interest. These point-in-time snapshots of the cohort are intended for ease of use.
For Duke investigators who want to explore diseases other than those characterized in storefronts, we offer an interactive dashboard that functions as a self-service data exploration tool.
Please complete this interest form as a first step, so that we may better understand your research idea and how the MURDOCK Biorepository will advance your research. We will promptly contact you to evaluate feasibility and to develop an initial scope for further discussion.
You may also directly contact the lead for the biorepository:
Douglas Wixted, MMCI
703-861-5918
“I have had the pleasure of working with the MURDOCK team for over 10 years, and they have consistently been a wonderful partner. We are excited that we have several years of longitudinal data collection on our Health Aging Physical Performance Across the Life Span study (PALS), which we can match with collected biospecimens.
"Our Duke Pepper Center has lots of investigators willing to collaborate and a central theme of optimizing physical resilience. There are endless possibilities in the data available through the MURDOCK and PALS studies.”
– Miriam C. Morey, PhD, Professor, Department of Medicine, Co-Director, Older Americans Independence (Pepper) Center