The aim is to promote human health
The clinical samples stored in biobanks are used, for instance, in cancer research. Biobank research is a means of developing better forms of medical treatment and improving citizens’ health.
Biobanks aim to develop new forms of treatment and to promote human health through health sciences research.
Biological samples have been collected in Finland for healthcare purposes essentially for a century. Alongside the reform of the sector, the scattered sample collections have been combined into a larger whole in biobanks, from where researchers can quickly and easily borrow samples for their research.
Matching the biological data obtained from sample collections with health data makes it easier to understand the causes of diseases and helps to develop targeted treatments.
The sample collections can be used, for example, in cancer research. They can help determine the relationship that exists between genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors when it comes to various diseases. The results can be used to develop better medications, treatment methods and diagnostic methods. In the best-case scenario, biobank research can lead to better awareness of preventive forms of treatment and promote self-care among citizens.
Biobanks are taking Finnish research forward, promoting health in Finland and the rest of the world – thereby also improving Finland’s competitiveness.
GIVING A SAMPLE
Biobank samples are received in co-operation with the hospital where the patient is being cared for.
Various samples are collected from patients on a daily basis in hospitals. Part of the samples, for example, a piece of tissue or a tube of blood, can, with your consent, be collected for the biobank in connection with other samples that are taken.
By donating a sample, you help support medical and health sciences research that aims to develop new medicines, forms of treatment and diagnostic methods.
The biobank can also receive samples through various research projects in which the samples that have been collected for specific research purposes can, under the Biobank Act, be transferred to the biobank for broader scientific research purposes.
The donation of a sample does not entail any additional measures or costs from you, nor does the refusal to donate result in any consequences for you.
You can also donate a biobank blood sample even if you have no other reason for having a blood sample taken. To donate a sample, you can make a special appointment at the TUAS Lab maintained by Turku University of Applied Sciences. The TUAS Lab is located in Turku in the building Medisiina D, and the sampling is performed by bioanalytics students who are familiar with the task. The biobank consent form must always be signed at the time of sampling at the TUAS Lab, even if you have signed one before. The sampling is free of charge.
Biobank samples accrue interest
Biobank samples are collected in the context of regular healthcare and medical examinations.
Only human biological samples are collected in the biobank. The samples can be, for example, tissue, blood, various bodily fluids or DNA isolated from cells. New samples are collected continuously from volunteer sample donors. The samples are physically stored in special storage rooms in the hospitals of Turku, Pori or Vaasa.
Samples are stored in the biobank until they are needed for research. The samples the biobank assigns for research are encoded so that individual donors cannot be identified from their sample.
When the research is concluded, the sample-specific research results are entered in the biobank. This means the information connected to the sample “accrues interest”, and the sample or the research information it has provided can be used in subsequent research.
The path of a sample from biobank to research
A biobank sample goes from storage to medical research through a detailed and secure process.
The biobank can assign samples and related data for the sole purpose of high-level health sciences research and product development.
The assignment of samples requires an affirmative statement from the biobank’s Scientific Steering Committee.
The biobank prepares a written agreement with the professional’s background organization concerning the granting of access to samples or data. The background organization may be a Finnish or international research institution or company.
What are old samples?
Old samples are ones that were taken in the context of treatment or medical research before the Biobank Act entered into force (1 Sept. 2013).
The Biobank Act contains a special provision according to which old samples can be transferred to the biobank either with the donor’s direct consent or through a notification process. The party that took the old sample can issue such notification in a personal letter or, in certain cases, by publishing it in media outlets. A transfer based on notification is not carried out if the donor of the sample refuses the transfer.
A refusal can be made using the the refusal form or online .
Benefits for the donor
You can support research that concerns your own illness.
If a significant finding for your health has been determined and verified in biobank research from your sample, you can be informed about it.
You could help other people who may benefit from the research results.
You do not need to give samples separately for research purposes, thus saving time and energy.
Data protection and rights of the donor
The basis for biobank activities is protecting the donor’s information.
The biobank processes the donor’s information confidentially. Information about the donor’s identity is stored separately from the samples and related data.
The biobank assigns samples and their related information for research encoded, without the donor’s identifiers.
The possibility to link the sample, if necessary, to a specific person is important so that biobank research can offer the donor or his/her family members new information about the donor’s disease or treatment methods. Determining the identity of the donor (opening the code) takes place under the responsibility and supervision of the biobank’s director.
The processing of personal data in the biobank is regulated by the Biobank Act, as well as the EU General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act, the Act on the Openness of Government Activities, the Medical Research Act and the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data. The biobank’s personal data registers are processed in accordance with the requirements concerning the data security of confidential information. Only appointed persons are allowed access to the biobank’s registers, and access rights are monitored.
In accordance with the Biobank Act, storing your samples in the biobank requires your written consent, and you also have the right to withdraw your consent without giving a reason.
As a donor, you have the right to know
whether samples taken from you have been stored in the biobank
if your sample is in the biobank, the criteria for storing the sample (consent or notification method)
the source of the information concerning you
where your samples and information have been assigned or transferred to
information concerning your health as determined based on the sample, and an account of the significance of the information
Requests for information
Any requests for information must be submitted to the biobank in writing. Download the necessary form via the link. After filling in the form, send it by post to:
Auria Biobank
P.O. Box 52
20521 Turku
For further information, please contact Auria Biobank see contact information . More information on our data protection practices is available here