Biorepository: Down Syndrome

We call it our hall of heroes

What is the Down syndrome Biorepository?

BRI’s Down Syndrome Biorepository is a confidential list of people with Down syndrome who are willing to donate samples and provide health information for scientific research.

Nearly half of all People people with Down syndrome also have an autoimmune disease.  BRI’s team is working to learn why. The ultimate goal of this research is to identify new and better therapeutics to prevent and treat autoimmune diseases in people with Down syndrome. Better understanding why autoimmune diseases are more common among people with Down syndrome may also give scientists more insight into how and why autoimmune diseases start in general.

Biorepository donations from individuals with Down syndrome and their family members are invaluable to this work. This information is kept confidential, and samples and health information are coded with numbers, not names.

We are currently enrolling individuals with Down syndrome with and without autoimmune diseases. Our research includes people with:

  • Down syndrome.
  • Down syndrome and Type 1 diabetes.
  • Down syndrome and celiac disease.

We will begin recruiting Down syndrome patients with other autoimmune diseases in the coming months.

We are also enrolling family members of patients with Down syndrome. Those without an autoimmune disease are eligible for the Healthy Volunteer Registry & Biorepository, and those with an autoimmune disease may be eligible for one of our other repositories.

Learn more: Biorepository FAQ

Join our Down Syndrome biorepository

Consider donating to our biorepository to help advance research.  We are here to answer any questions and look forward to hearing from you.
Bernard Khor
Associate Member

Bernard Khor, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator, Khor Lab; Center for Translational Immunology; Associate Medical Director, Bloodworks Northwest; Affiliate Assistant Professor, University of Washington
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Understanding Immune System Disease in People With Down Syndrome

BRI researchers use our Down Syndrome Biorepository to study:

  • Why having Down syndrome makes a person more likely to develop autoimmune disease.
  • How autoimmune diseases may progress differently in people with Down syndrome.
  • Which therapies might work best to treat immune system diseases in people with Down syndrome.
  • If and how having Down syndrome impacts the effectiveness of vaccines for illnesses like influenza and COVID-19.

Collaborate with Us

We want to advance science and seek out opportunities to collaborate.  We have the technology, participants, expertise, samples and desire.  Learn about all of the ways we collaborate, we look forward to hearing from you. 
By the Numbers
Our Down Syndrome Biorepository by the numbers

122+

Volunteers

1844+

Samples

Immuno-what? Hear the latest from BRI

Keep up to date on our latest research, new clinical trials and exciting publications.