Twenty-three years ago when women and their children were recruited to a longitudinal genetic epidemiological study during pregnancy, placentas were collected at birth. This paper explores the history of a regional placenta biobank and contemporary understandings of its value for the constitution of a research population. We draw on interviews with some of the mothers and those responsible for the establishment and curation of the placenta collection in order to explore the significance and meaning of the collection for them. Given its capacity to stand in for the study cohort of mothers and children, we argue that the material significance of the placenta biobank as a research tool seems far less important than the work it does in constituting a population. The stories about this collection may be understood within the wider context of developments in biobanking and the bioeconomy.

中文翻译：

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来自区域胎盘组织收集的起源故事

23 年前，当妇女及其子女被招募到怀孕期间进行纵向遗传流行病学研究时，在出生时就收集了胎盘。本文探讨了区域性胎盘生物样本库的历史以及当代对其对研究人群构成的价值的理解。我们通过对一些母亲和负责建立和管理胎盘收藏的人的采访，来探索收藏对她们的意义和意义。鉴于它能够代表母亲和儿童的研究队列，我们​​认为胎盘生物库作为研究工具的物质意义似乎远不如它在构成人口方面所做的工作重要。