Helsinki Biobank provides samples from its sample repository, with associated clinical information, for medical research and R&D purposes. In addition, the biobank allocates resources for prospective sample collections based on approved project plans. The largest retrospective sample collection contains diagnostic formalin-fixed paraffin embedded samples from 1,4 million individuals collected during years 1982-2013. In addition, prospective cohorts, including multiple longitudinal sample types from 2000 patients with urological malignancies, are available. Prospective blood sample collecting is on-going containing over 12 700 EDTA plasma and buffy coat samples (June 2017).
Minimum data set for a sample includes:
sample type
date of sampling
sample donor's age at sampling
sample donor's gender (based on social security number)
sample donor's date of death (based on electronical patient records)
Following data related to the sample donor can be routinely included:
histological and cytological diagnoses (from year 1989)
ICD-10 codes (from year 2007)
results of clinical laboratory analyses (from year 2007)
operation codes (from year 2007)
medication administered at the HUS hospitals (from year 2013)
Additional data may be available based on detailed inquiry. Routinously provided data is expected to be more comprehensive in the beginning of 2018.