What is a data bank?
It allows for research data to be stored and conserved. These data may come from medical files, questionnaires, exams and evaluations, or biological samples (e.g., blood, urine, hair, cells, tissue) and results of laboratory analyses performed on these samples.
The advantage of such a bank is to preserve and maintain access to a collection of data for research purposes. These data can be used to understand biological mechanisms behind illness, identify new biomarkers, implement personalized treatment plans and facilitate improvements to medications and therapies. The epidemiological studies conducted using the bank’s samples and data could have far-reaching effects on public health by helping us improve our understanding of the risk factors for illness, develop new treatments and design prevention strategies.
These data banks will be major platforms for advancing research, as they maximize the use of data from studies receiving both public and private funding, all while facilitating the realization of collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects.
We take the protection of personal information and data confidentiality very seriously. All personal information will be anonymized to protect participants’ identities.
Research teams can request access to data and biological specimens from the PRÉVENTION cohort to explore new research questions related to pregnancy, health and child development. The request must go through a rigorous process and respect the scientific objectives of the data bank and the data use policies developed as part of its management, which necessarily requires that the project be examined by an authorized ethics board and receive a favourable evaluation. To be accepted, the request must also be approved by the Bank Management Committee.