Kidney Biorepositories: Valuable Tools Advancing Acute Kidney Injury Research.

Biorepositories-centralized facilities for storing biologic specimens (such as blood, urine, and tissue) along with associated patient data-are critical resources that can drive progress in AKI research. To highlight their importance, the American Society of Nephrology's AKINow Basic Science Workgroup hosted a webinar titled " How to Build and Best Use Kidney Biorepositories ," featuring expert panelists Drs. A. Hung, S. Jain, and C. Parikh. This discussion, summarized here, focused on: ( 1 ) How biorepositories can support research, especially for early-stage investigators; ( 2 ) key logistical considerations for establishing a new biorepository; and ( 3 ) the benefits and trade-offs of creating a new biorepository versus existing ones. In addition, details related to existing biorepositories are provided to foster better utilization of these valuable resources. The goal is to inform nephrology investigators about how to leverage existing biorepositories to advance their research and to provide guidance for those interested in generating their own.