Community member, community liaison and researcher perspectives on the creation of HapMap and 1000 Genomes Project iPSCs

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) Repository for Human Genetic Research (NHGRI Repository) distributes renewable lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) and cell line DNAs donated by members of 26 communities who have taken part in the International HapMap and 1000 Genomes Projects. The relatively recent introduction of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) reprogramming technologies offers a new opportunity to create iPSCs from HapMap and 1000 Genomes Project biospecimens. However, since relevant iPSC technology did not exist when the HapMap and 1000 Genomes Projects began, it was not explicitly included in the consent process. To explore donor community and researcher perspectives on potential HapMap and 1000 Genomes Project iPSC creation, we conducted an online, semi-structured survey. The majority of community (86%) and research (86%) respondents agreed that creating iPSCs from HapMap and 1000 Genomes Project biospecimens could benefit the research community; however non-trivial concerns (36% community respondents and 16% researcher respondents) and doubts (21% community respondents and 11% researcher respondents) about HapMap and 1000 Genomes Project iPSC creation were also shared. Given these results, we will continue to explore opportunities to engage with HapMap and 1000 Genomes Project communities that include educational materials and detailed discussions regarding the potential for creating iPSCs from their community biospecimens. In parallel, we will continue to grow the existing NHGRI Repository iPSC collection with new donor submissions through the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium (HPRC) that explicitly consented to the creation of iPSCs.