Since the beginning of 2016, more than 150,000 biobank consents have been collected. By the end of the year, samples from nearly 115,000 people had been collected for the biobank. Our archive of tissue samples preserved in paraffin contains samples from nearly 700,000 individuals.
The collection of biobank consents and samples reached the target level despite the coronavirus pandemic and the deployment of the Apotti patient information system. The number of electronic biobank consents increased compared to the number of consents given as hard copy.
Collaboration to add biobank functionalities to the Apotti system and to the Maisa portal continues. Automating biobank sample requests using robotics progressed to the implementation phase.
Among the focus areas of the FinnGen project, we intensified the collection of biobank samples especially from neurology and gastrology patients.
In 2021, the Helsinki Biobank acquired more than 15,000 new B-Bio-0 samples, or about 60 samples every weekday on average.
In 2021, we collected more than 1,100 fresh tissue samples in collaboration with HUSLAB pathology laboratories. In all, we have acquired nearly 7,000 fresh tissue samples over the past six years. We continued to collect fluid biopsy samples (cell-free DNA samples) from cancer patients, and by the end of 2021 there were more than 5,200 fluid biopsy samples in all.
During the year under review, we launched several targeted sample collecting projects with research groups.