| Study title: |
The Heart Centre Biobank Registry |
| Principal investigator: |
Mital, Seema |
| Study description: |
You are being invited to enroll in a research program called the Heart Centre Biobank Registry which is a multi-site research registry across Ontario. The purpose of this registry is to collect and store blood, saliva, tissue and skin samples from a large group of individuals who either have or are at risk for heart defects that are present from birth (congenital) or develop later in life (acquired), and to use advanced research technologies to study heart disease and other diseases. Healthy individuals are also eligible for case control studies. Researchers will use these samples now and in the future to investigate the biological (including genetic, genomic) and environmental causes of birth defects including heart defects and other diseases. We want to find out which genes or factors increase the risk of being born with or developing heart disease in children and adults. Genes are present in the DNA of each and every cell in the body and control how our bodies work, and how our bodies respond to disease and to medical and surgical therapies. This study will use blood, saliva and in some cases tissue samples to look closely at genes and proteins and their expression in blood and tissue. Knowledge of what causes disease will help us develop better ways to diagnose and prevent disease and develop new medicines and treatment strategies for individuals with or at risk of heart disease or other diseases. |
| Recruitment information: |
Controls or healthy volunteers:
Control subjects will be enrolled if they have no personal/family history of heart disease. Family based controls will be used to prevent difficulties in ethnically matching subjects. In controls in which heart disease is suspected based on history, a referral to a cardiologist for further evaluation will be made.
Recruitment will be in collaboration with physicians caring for these individuals. Subjects are identified by their physician or through review of medical records and are contacted by the study coordinators, or investigators who explain the study to the subject and/or family members. Recruitment may occur during a scheduled office visit, inpatient hospitalization, procedure, or telephone.
We may reimburse individuals for reasonable out of pocket expenses or for their time as a result of participating.
Applicable for everyone - including patients and controls:
All children presenting to cardiology division at SickKids or other regional centres with known or suspected cardiac disease or at risk for heart disease will be eligible. Individuals being screened for heart disease will be eligible. Patients older than 18 presenting to the adult heart disease service at TGH and other regional centres will be eligible. Families presenting with a history of heart disease, will be recruited. Unaffected family members of cases will serve as family controls. Unrelated individuals with no heart disease will serve as population-based controls.
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| Enrollment status: |
Closed
Healthy volunteers
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| Contact name: |
Raj Akilen |
| Telephone: |
416-813-7654 X228125 |
| Email: |
raj.akilen@sickkids.ca |
