Ancillary studies

NEPTUNE welcomes and encourages internal and external investigators to use the observational clinical data, histopathology data, biosamples, whole slide images, and derived data sets from NEPTUNE for their own research.

Investigators can also access NEPTUNE sites to collect new data or biospecimens, or perform observational or interventional studies.

NEPTUNE ancillary studies resources:

How to Submit an Ancillary Study Application

Submit your ancillary study proposal to the NEPTUNE Ancillary Studies Committee at least 2 months prior to the anticipated external funding submission date.

To submit an ancillary study proposal:

Submit a completed ancillary study application (below) to: neptune-study@umich.edu

Approved ancillary studies collaborators will be expected to uphold the NEPTUNE Ancillary Studies policy

The review process

The main goal of the ancillary study review process is to ensure minimal burden to study participants and biorepository, manage project scope overlap, and assess prudent use of limited NEPTUNE resources.

For more detailed information, view the NEPTUNE Ancillary Studies policy

A figure of the ancillary study review process

Explore the NEPTUNE databases with tranSMART!

NEPTUNE tranSMART is a web-based platform that provides available clinical, biospecimen, and biomarker data in an organized ontology.

Datasets available for ancillary studies

Category
Datasets
Clinical

Demographic and health data
Environmental exposures
Patient reported outcomes
Patient reported information
Centralized serum and urine lab values

Genetic

Whole genome sequencing (WGS), 30X
Whole exome sequencing (WES)
APOL1

Gene expression

Affymetrix gene expression
Renal biopsy RNA sequencing
Single nuclear RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq)

Proteomics

Targeted proteomics using 54-Plex Cytokine/Chemokine/TIMP/MMP panel
Urinary EGF normalized to creatinine ELISA
SomaScan

Digital pathology repository

Whole slide images (WSI)
Descriptor based morphologic profile (NDPSS) available in tranSMART

Data category
Baseline visit
Follow-up visits
Demographics
Follow-up (all participants)
Census tracts
Socio-economic status
Healthcare utilization
Renal function and proteinuria
Lab results
Patient-reported data
Endpoints
APOL1 risk haplotype
Nephrotic syndrome classification data
Family medical history
Medications

Biospecimens available for ancillary studies

The tables below show the biospecimens collected at study visits. View the complete guide of all of the biospecimens available
Blood
Serum/plasma samples
Plasma
(EDTA)
Serum
Serum
(SST)
Plasma
(Sodium citrate)
Plasma
(Sodium heparin)
Baseline
Adult
Peds > 52 lbs.
Peds 21-51 lbs.
Peds < 21 lbs.
Follow-up
Adult
Peds > 52 lbs.
Peds 21-51 lbs.
Peds < 21 lbs.
Urine
24-hr urine
(untreated)
24-hr urine
(PI)
Spot urine (PI)
Spot urine
(NaN3)
Spot urine pellets in RNA later
Spot urine pellets
(PI)
Baseline (all participants)
Follow-up (all participants)