Organization:Finngen
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| Headquarters | Helsinki, Finland |
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| Website | https://www.finngen.fi/ |
The FinnGen project was launched in 2017 [1] with the aim of collecting biological samples from 500,000 participants in Finland over six years with the aim of improving health through genetic research.[2] This is about 10% of the population. It is hoped that it will be a springboard for better diagnostics and new therapies.[3] It is the key to Finland's Health Sector Growth Strategy for Research and Innovation Activities.
Activity
The study is using Thermo Fisher Scientific's Axiom Genotyping Solution. In February 2020, the FinnGen data resource contained data from more than 220,000 biobank sample donors.
DNA samples had already been collected from about 230,000 Finns for earlier studies.[4] The 2013 Biobank Act permitted samples to be transferred to biobanks and made available to researchers. These earlier samples were collected from people who are now getting older, so they can be related to many more disease events than the UK Biobank. The concept of ‘broad consent’ means that participants do not have to be asked to consent for their samples to be used in each project. The Finnish Biobank Cooperative was established in 2017.[5] The first summary of results was released to the public on January 14, 2020 [6] and will be updated every 6 months, at a one year delay with the internal findings.
History
Finnish people have evolved from a small founder population with little consanguinity. The low level of variants in the population structure means the chances that any disease association findings will have statistical significance are greater. Genetic discoveries can be made more easily than in more heterogeneous populations.[7]
References
- ↑ "Finngen/en/Aboutus". https://www.finngen.fi/en/Aboutus. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ↑ "FinnGen, a global research project focusing on genome data of 500,000 Finns, launched" (in en). American Association for the Advancement of Science. 2017-12-19. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uoh-fag121917.php.
- ↑ "Massgeschneidert statt massentauglich". SRF. 21 November 2018. https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/big-data-fuer-unsere-gesundheit-massgeschneidert-statt-massentauglich. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
- ↑ "Finnish researchers to create DNA database of 500,000 people for disease studies". YLE. 17 January 2018. https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_researchers_to_create_dna_database_of_500000_people_for_disease_studies/10027500. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
- ↑ "Biobanking in Finland: a success story". Health Europa. 8 November 2018. https://www.healtheuropa.eu/biobanking/88879/. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
- ↑ "ACCESS RESULTS | FinnGen". https://www.finngen.fi/en/access_results.
- ↑ "Thermo Fisher Scientific Custom Microarrays Drive Large-Scale Genotyping Study of Finnish Population". PR Newswire. 16 October 2018. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thermo-fisher-scientific-custom-microarrays-drive-large-scale-genotyping-study-of-finnish-population-300731647.html. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
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