Partner With Us: The CU IBD Biobank
Living with gastrointestinal diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis can be a challenging journey. At the University of Colorado, our doctors and scientists are working tirelessly to discover better treatments, understand the root causes of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and ultimately find a cure.
But we cannot do it alone. The most critical component of medical research is you.
By participating in the CU IBD Biobank, you give researchers a window into how IBD behaves in the human body. Your contribution bridges the gap between today’s medical care and tomorrow’s life-changing discoveries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the IBD Biobank?
The Biobank is a secure library of biological samples (like blood, stool, or small tissue samples collected during routine procedures) donated by patients with IBD, other GI diseases, as well as healthy individuals. These samples are paired with health information to help researchers study IBD more accurately.
How does participation work?
Participation is 100% voluntary, and nothing happens without your explicit, informed consent. We designed the Biobank to be as seamless as possible. If you choose to sign a consent form, donations are simply coordinated with care you are already receiving so there are no extra appointments:
• During a Procedure: If you are having a scheduled endoscopy, colonoscopy, or surgery and have agreed to join the study, we can collect a few small, extra tissue samples from your small intestine or colon. This happens while you are already asleep for your routine procedure, adding no pain, discomfort, or extra recovery time.
• During Routine Lab Work: We can coordinate with the lab to collect an extra tube of blood at the exact same time you are already having standard, clinician-ordered blood draws.
• At Home: If you choose to provide a stool sample, we may give you a convenient kit that you can easily fill at home and return to us at your convenience.
Will this affect my medical care?
No. Your care and your choices are our absolute first priority. Choosing to participate—or deciding not to—will never change the quality or availability of the medical care you receive at the University of Colorado.
Our team will only collect samples if it is entirely safe to do so, if it does not interfere with your clinical care, and if you have given us your explicit permission. You are in complete control: even if you sign the consent form now, you can change your mind and withdraw from the Biobank at any time, for any reason, no questions asked.
How is my privacy protected?
We take your privacy incredibly seriously. Before any sample or health information is shared with a researcher, it is completely de-identified. This means your name, date of birth, and medical record number are removed and replaced with a unique code. Researchers will never know your identity.
Why should I join?
While donating may not directly change your current treatment plan, it has a profound impact on the future. The data gathered from your samples helps scientists understand why treatments work for some people but not others, paving the way for personalized medicine and better therapies for the entire IBD community.
Ready to Make an Impact?
Our dedicated Biobank team is here to support you. We will walk you through the entire consent process, answer every question you have, and ensure you feel completely comfortable and informed.
Interested in participating? Ask your GI provider about the IBD Biobank at your next visit, or contact our coordination team directly at (which contact info would be best here, Sarah? Darya? Brooke?).
Coordination Team
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