The Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository (RUCDR) coordinates the shipment, receipt, processing, and distribution of all the biospecimens in the Simons Simplex Collection. The RUCDR Communications Department assembles the mailing kits that are used by the collection sites to submit blood samples and coordinates the receipt of the samples, including logging them into a database with direct reporting to the SFARI database. The various labs at RUCDR then process the samples for creation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed cell lines to serve as a renewable resource for scientific investigation, as well as extraction of DNA and plasma for distribution to Simons Foundation-approved investigators. Each sample that is processed at the RUCDR undergoes extensive quality control and identity assessment, including SNP genotyping with an identity panel, fragile X testing to aid in curating the SSC for exclusion of participants with fragile X, and parentage testing to ensure that the pedigree relationships of each family are correct.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
