Biobanks EUROPE

Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: UK birth cohort with deep phenotyping from pregnancy onward; genotype and sequence data support developmental and complex-trait GWAS.

Biobank Graz is one of the largest and most well-known clinical biobanks in the world. Around 20 million individual specimens of body fluids and human tissue are stored here. Biobank Graz allows access to these specimens and associated data for scientific research purposes. The common goal is to develop approaches to diagnosing and treating disease.

BioBank Russia (BBRU) is a prospective biobank, managed by V. A. Almazov National Medical Research Center.

Swiss population-based cohort (Lausanne) focused on cardiovascular risk (CoLaus) with parallel PsyCoLaus mental-health deep phenotyping; genotype data used in GWAS and omics analyses.

Prospective cohort of Danish blood donors with biosamples and questionnaire data; large-scale genome-wide genotyping supports trait and omics GWAS.

Nationwide biobank infrastructure integrating samples from the health system; enables large-scale genetic and epidemiological studies when linked to Danish registers.

Genes & Health is a huge long-term study of 100,000 people of Bangladeshi and Pakistani origin. We will link genes with health records, to study disease and treatments. Some volunteers may be invited for further studies. We are inviting volunteers to take part in two regions of the UK: East London (East London Genes & Health) and Bradford (Bradford Genes & Health).

The Estonian Biobank has established a population-based biobank of Estonia with a current cohort size of more than 200,000 individuals (genotyped with genome-wide arrays), reflecting the age, sex and geographical distribution of the adult Estonian population. Considering the fact that about 20% of Estonia's adult population has joined the programme, it is indeed a database that is very important for the development of medical science both domestically and internationally.

The Fenland Study investigates the interaction between environmental and genetic factors in determining obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related metabolic disorders. These conditions are a considerable public health concern, but their causes and factors that predict who will be affected by them are not completely understood. What makes the Fenland Study unique is the level of detail it collects about the health and lifestyle of participants, and the objective measurement techniques used in the screening. The first phase of the Fenland Study is now complete, and we are now inviting participants who attended an initial Fenland Study visit between 2005 and 2015 to return for a second visit in Phase 2.

FinnGen study launched in Finland in the autumn of 2017 is a unique study that combines genome information with digital health care data. The FinnGen study is an unprecedented global research project representing one of the largest studies of this type. Project aims to improve human health through genetic research, and ultimately identify new therapeutic targets and diagnostics for treating numerous diseases. The collaborative nature of the project is exceptional compare to many ongoing studies, and all the partners are working closely together to ensure appropriate transparency, data security and ownership.

Generation Scotland is a research study looking at the health and well-being of volunteers and their families. Generation Scotland combines responses to questionnaires of health and well-being from birth through life. We combine this with NHS health records and innovative laboratory science to understand health trajectories. We work closely with researchers and our volunteers to create a rich evidence base for understanding health. Through this rigorous, ethical and safe approach to research, we seek to enable meaningful change in public health.

Population-based cohort from Mainz with cardiovascular focus, omics, and imaging; genome-wide data support GWAS on cardiometabolic and related traits.

Between June 2012 and June 2014, the INTERVAL study recruited about 25,000 men and about 25,000 women at NHS Blood and Transplant (NSHBT) blood donation centres across England. During the study participants are asked to give blood either at usual donation intervals or more frequently. Men donate every 12, 10 or 8 weeks and women every 16, 14 or 12 weeks.

Lifelines is a large, multigenerational cohort study that includes over 167,000 participants (10%) from the northern population of the Netherlands. We included participants from three generations, who are followed for at least 30 years, to obtain insight into healthy ageing. The aim of Lifelines is to be a resource for the national and international scientific community.

German National Cohort (NAKO) is a large prospective study with biosamples and extensive phenotyping; genome-wide genotype data support GWAS and omics analyses under controlled access.

Population-based cohort in Rotterdam (Erasmus MC) with longitudinal follow-up, imaging, and biosamples; among the most widely used European cohorts in cardiovascular and aging GWAS.

Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults; longitudinal respiratory and cardiovascular phenotypes with genetic data for population and environmental health GWAS.

The IARC BioBank (IBB) is one of the largest, most varied and richest International collections of samples in the world. The Biobank is publicly funded, (approximately 60% of its budget is provided by IARC Participating States through the regular budget and the remainder is from research grants) and hosts over 50 different studies, led or coordinated by IARC scientists. The IBB contains both population-based collections from research projects focusing on gene-environment interactions (as in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study) and disease-based collections which focus on biomarkers (as in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE)). Study designs include case-series, prevalence studies, case-control and cohort studies, etc. The IBB contains 5.1 million biological samples from 562,000 individuals. 4 million of the samples are from the EPIC study (over 370,000 individuals) and about one million samples from other collections (close to 200,000 individuals). Most of the samples are body fluids, including plasma, serum and urine as well as extracted DNA samples.

HUNT Biobank is an established and modern research biobank with high-technology equipment for storage, analysis, sample handling and delivery of samples. Our samples satisfy high quality standards and are stored in accordance with the Data Inspectorates laws and regulations. HUNT Biobank engages in sample handling from The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), Cohort of Norway (CONOR), and can receive samples from other researchers and research projects for storage, analysis and processing of DNA. We do not store samples from private individuals.

UK adult twin registry with deep multi-omics and phenotyping; genotype and sequence data widely used in GWAS, heritability, and multi-trait genetic analyses.

UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database and research resource, containing in-depth genetic and health information from half a million UK participants. The database is regularly augmented with additional data and is globally accessible to approved researchers undertaking vital research into the most common and life-threatening diseases. It is a major contributor to the advancement of modern medicine and treatment and has enabled several scientific discoveries that improve human health.

deCODE leads the world in the discovery of genetic risk factors for common diseases. Our gene discovery engine is driven by our unique approach and resources, including detailed genetic and medical information on some 500,000 individuals from around the globe taking part in our discovery work and proprietary statistical algorithms and informatics tools for gathering, analyzing, visualizing and storing large amounts of data.