The Sangre Por Salud (SPS, blood for health) Biobank is a research based partnership between MPHC, Mayo Clinic, and ASU to address health inequity in the Latino community. The Biobank collects biological samples from Latino Mountain Park patients who agree to donate. The potential benefits of this research are understanding how different people respond to drugs or other treatments. One significant element of this research is the 14 member Community Advisory Board (CAB) who advise on ethical, legal, policy and social issues of using DNA research. The voluntary group is comprised of Mountain Park patients, SPS Biobank participants, and community members who are all in favor of seeing new treatments develop and ultimately improve patient care at Mountain Park Health Center.
To date, the SPS Biobank has recruited over 1,500 Mountain Park patients to participate in the research project. This group provides valuable racial and socio-economic diversity to the overall Mayo Clinic Biobank that has recruited over 50,000 participants since its inception. As use of the SPS Biobank samples by Mayo Clinic researchers commences, our SPS Community Advisory Board will provide a unique patient and community informed perspective to the research.
The SPS Biobank and CAB’s success are a result of the hard work and team effort put forth by staff at the three partnering institutions. For more information, please email info@mphc-az.org
