Biobanks' role in FinnGen

The FinnGen study is a scientific research project utilising both samples collected by the Finnish biobanks and national health register data. The study has not recruited participants specifically for this research project.

A biobank is a collection of biological samples and data gathered with the donor’s consent for future medical research and product development for healthcare and health promotion purposes. The difference between traditional sample collections and the new biobank concept is that samples collected in a biobank can be used for a variety of future research needs, not just for a defined specific research purpose. 

All public Finnish biobanks are members of the FinnGen consortium. It is likely that if you have given a biobank consent and sample before March 2023, your sample is included in the FinnGen study.

Based on the Biobank Act, sample donors are free to cancel, change or restrict their consent to biobank research at any time by giving notice in writing according to the instructions of the biobank in question. This page contains the contact information for the biobanks.

The Biobank Act also states that everyone has the right to receive, upon request, information on whether or not their samples are stored in a biobank. If you want to know whether your samples are stored in a specific biobank or have been utilised in the FinnGen study, please contact the biobank in question.

In addition to the samples collected by the Finnish hospital biobanks and the Blood Service Biobank during the past years, the FinnGen study also utilises samples collected by the Finnish Hematology Registry and Clinical Biobank (FHRB Biobank) and the following old sample cohorts that have been transferred to THL Biobank, Helsinki Biobank, Auria Biobank, Arctic Biobank or the Biobank of Eastern Finland:

  • Botnia Study
  • Corogene Study
  • National FINRISK Study 1992-2012
  • Health 2000 and 2011 Surveys
  • Helsinki Heart Study
  • THL Diabetes Studies
  • THL Psychiatric Family Collections
  • Migraine Study
  • Twin Study
  • FINNAKI Study
  • Finnish IPF
  • (ATBC) Lung Cancer Prevention Study
  • Helsinki Heart Study
  • Northern Finland Birth Cohorts NFBC1966 and NFBC1986
  • Northern Finland aging individuals Oulu1935 and Oulu1945
  • The Finland-United States Investigation of NIDDM Genetics (FUSION) study
  • Direva diabetes study
  • Biobank of Eastern Finland research cohorts (aneurysm, ADGEN, KBCP, NPH, L-MCI, Nomod and IIH S100B studies)

Furthermore, these study cohorts, where the participants have also provided a biobank consent, are part of FinnGen:

  • Super study
  • GeneRISK study
  • FinHealth
  • Fin-HIT (The Finnish Health in Teens Study)