Biobank Borealis

Biobank Borealis is a unit that collects and stores human samples and information related to them and makes them available for scientifically evaluated medical research. The tissue and cell sample block archives from the pathology units of hospitals in the wellbeing services counties of North Ostrobothnia, Lapland, Kainuu and Central Ostrobothnia are Biobank Borealis’s main sample material. The Biobank mainly functions as a data bank. Physically, the sample material remains in the pathology units and, for the most part, only identifying and content data is transferred to the biobank’s databases. 

In the biobank’s sample and data register, personal identifiers (personal identity codes and names) have been replaced with codes assigned by the biobank. The use of a code register safeguards the privacy of those who have donated samples.

At the end of 2016, data was transferred about samples collected before the 1st of September 2013. Electronically stored information about these samples is available through the public notification procedure. However, data about persons who had submitted a prohibition before the 30th of November 2016 or who were minors on the 30th of September 2016 was not transferred to the Biobank. The transfer does not, in any situation, jeopardise the organisation or provision of the patient’s care. 

Newer samples can be transferred to biobanks only with the voluntary written consent of the person who provided the sample. In addition to transferring old samples, collecting new samples for the biobank is extremely important for research. Giving consent is always voluntary, and a biobank sample is always collected in connection with other care or procedures. In other words, patients do not need to make any additional visits or go through additional procedures because of the biobank.

The processing of samples and data in the biobank is based on law, and samples are not used for any purposes other than research that is in accordance with the Biobank Act and that has been scientifically evaluated. The aim of biobanks is to prevent diseases and develop safe, more effective and more personalised treatments together with actors in the field. Health science research requires large, population-based sample collections. The management and storage of such collections require resources and expertise. The biobank is better able to serve this purpose than the old model where samples were scattered across different units.

Further information about Biobank Borealis:

The website also contains forms for consent and refusal.