You are being asked to join a group of healthy adults who are willing to serve as participants in UAB research studies for which investigators need blood samples. There are no direct benefits to you for enrolling in this cohort although your donation will assist with UAB immunology research and increase our knowledge of how the immune system works.
How does it work?
Enrollment: If you decide to enroll in this group (UAB HDC), we will ask you to complete a questionnaire (https://redcap.link/uabhdc) to collect basic information (age, sex, race and ethnicity) and verify that you are a healthy (no active cancer within the past 5 years, no diagnoses of autoimmune disorders, no diagnoses of anemia or lymphopenia, not treated with immune modulating drugs, and not currently treated for chronic viral infection(s)), non-pregnant adult (18 years of age or older) weighing at least 110 lbs. capable of providing informed consent to be contacted in the future and participate in UAB research studies by providing a blood sample. Enrollment in the cohort and all participation in future studies is voluntary and your consent may be withdrawn at any time.
Future Contact: As a member of the cohort, you will periodically receive encrypted text messages and/or emails to participate in UAB research studies. Criteria such as age, gender, race and ethnicity may be defined by the research study for which we are trying to match healthy adult participants. If you fit the criteria based upon responses given in the HDCEQ and your health status at the time of request, you will have the opportunity to schedule donation of a blood sample for the research study.
Study Participation: You will receive a payment of $30 for each study in which you participate and provide a blood sample. You will receive an additional $15 for the very first blood draw as a member of the UAB HDC. Payment will be made via Greenphire ClinCard at the time of blood donation.
Significance: At this time, the specific nature and purpose of the research studies that will request healthy donor samples from the UAB HDC is unknown. We anticipate that these will be studies to collect preliminary data for research grant applications, validation of experimental methodology, data for funded applications that need healthy donor blood samples and/or clinical research studies. These studies of human conditions and immune responses will aid our understanding of the important molecules and pathways that regulate various cells of the immune system and/or develop treatment or therapies.
If you have any questions about the cohort, please contact Lorenzo Thompson at lthompson@uabmc.edu or 205-659-0944.
If you would like to enroll in the UAB HDC, please follow this link https://redcap.link/uabhdc. Upon satisfactory completion of the questionnaire, you will be asked to provide your consent to enroll in the UAB HDC, to be contacted to participate in future UAB research studies, and to provide blood samples for the studies in which you choose to participate.