Additionally, the Lupus Family Registry & Repository is the largest repository of its kind in North America. In addition to the research done on site, the Repository serves as a national resource for scientists interested in conducting research on SLE and families either simplex or multiplex for lupus. Data, serum samples, and DNA samples are available to researchers. By collecting families in which two or more living individuals have been diagnosed with SLE, the study is utilizing the genetic link between the affected family members to discover disease-associated genes.