Research infrastructure

Life sciences

Research infrastructure

Life sciences

BIS – Biobank Sweden

 

The national biobank infrastructure Biobank Sweden, BIS, includes all universities with a medical faculty and associated university hospital principals (county councils and regions).

Biobank Sweden, BIS, which was established in 2018, coordinates and works towards efficient use of biobanks at national and international level. A specific goal for the infrastructure is to improve access to samples and associated data for researchers in academia, health and medical care and industry.

The coordination involves joint standards, quality measures, ethical rules, networks and operational compatibility of data. The biobanks constitute a platform for effective healthcare services, high-quality research and the development of new medical therapies within the biosciences industry. Samples collected within healthcare and in conjunction with research studies, for example, are accumulated in biobanks and can then be used both for healthcare and therapy, and also for medical research.

In order for biobank samples to be used optimally for research and healthcare, they have to be collected and stored in the correct way, and information about the samples has to be accessible. It is important that procedures for collection, storage and withdrawal of samples are harmonised between hospitals, regions and internationally.

Since 2013, Sweden has been a member of the European infrastructure Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI-ERIC). BIS is the Swedish node in BBMRI-ERIC, and Sweden holds a leading role in the development of ethical, legal and societal issues (ELSI) within the European infrastructure, which creates collaborations and other opportunities at international level.

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