The Center for Precision Medicine Research is home to a small bio-bank of DNA samples collected from Papua New Guinea.  The samples were originally collected to study the biological diversity of human populations on the islands of Papua New Guinea and nearby regions.  The Medical Research Advisory Committee of the Government of Papua New Guinea owns the samples, but has given permission to the Center for Precision Medicine Research at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute to oversee the use of the samples.  DNA samples for approximately 500 individuals are available and have been quantified using the PicoGreen method.

A description of sample collection methods can be found in:

Friedlaender JS, Friedlaender FR, Reed FA, Kidd KK, Kidd JR, Chambers GK, Lea RA, Loo JH, Koki G, Hodgson JA, Merriwether DA, Weber JL. The Genetic Structure of Pacific Islanders.  PLoS Genetics 2008;4(1):e19. PubMed ID: 18208337

Researchers who want to use the samples can Center for Precision Medicine Research to get more information.

Other publications that have used the Papua New Guinea samples are:

Hunley K, Dunn M, Lindström E, Reesink G, Terrill A, Healy ME, Koki G, Friedlaender FR, Friedlaender JS. Genetic and Linguistic Coevolution in Northern Island Melanesia. PLoS Genetics 2008;4(10):e1000239. PubMed ID: 18974871

Ciarleglio CM, Ryckman KK, Servick SV, Hida A, Robbins S, Wells N, Hicks J, Larson SA, Wiedermann JP, Carver K, Hamilton N, Kidd KK, Kidd JR, Smith JR, Friedlaender J, McMahon DG, Williams SM, Summar ML, Johnson CH. Genetic Differences in Human Circadian Clock Genes Among Worldwide Populations. Journal of Biological Rhythms 2008;23(4):330-40. PubMed ID: 18663240

Garrigan D, Kingan SB, Pilkington MM, Wilder JA, Cox MP, Soodyall H, Strassmann B, Destro-Bisol G, de Knijff P, Novelletto A, Friedlaender J, Hammer MF. Inferring Human Population Sizes, Divergence Times and Rates of Gene Flow From Mitochondrial, X and Y Chromosome Resequencing Data. Genetics. 2007;177(4):2195-207. PubMed ID: 18073427

Friedlaender JS, Friedlaender FR, Hodgson JA, Stoltz M, Koki G, Horvat G, Zhadanov S, Schurr TG, Merriwether DA. Melanesian mtDNA Complexity. PLoS One 2007;2(2):e248. PubMed ID: 17327912

Scheinfeldt L, Friedlaender F, Friedlaender J, Latham K, Koki G, Karafet T, Hammer M, Lorenz J. Unexpected NRY Chromosome Variation in Northern Island Melanesia. Molecular Biology and Evolution 2006;23(8):1628-41. PubMed ID: 16754639