By storing blood samples in a bio bank, the work we do today, can be useful in the future when for example new methods of analyzing is developed. In our largest project, Generation 100, we have saved 60,000 small tubes of blood so far, which in the future will help answer questions about aging and health. In the EU project OptimEx we are currently collecting blood from patients with diastolic heart failure both from Norway and other European countries. In the international project MET-EX we are collecting blood from participants with metabolic syndrome from several continents.
Engineer at CERG, Atefe Tari, installing The Biobank at University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.
The material collected from those who participate in our research projects are treated with utmost care, both with respect to those participating, and to enable the material to be used for a wide range of analyses in the future. In all samples the personal ID is encrypted when they are registered in The Regional Biobank of Central Norway (The Biobank). In order to answer questions about cardiovascular health and disease affecting populations around the world, we cooperate with researchers around the world.
In recent years we have taken advantage of The Biobank to implement such projects, enabling us to have a secure, comprehensive overview of all samples in a given project across borders and continents. It makes working with large multi-center studies much easier. When we begin to use the stored material, we record the analysis that is performed and the results we have obtained. Eventually, the Biobank will contain a lot of valuable information, both for us and for future researchers.
Employees at The Regional Biobank of Central Norway Jostein Halgunset, professor Anne Morgenstierne Sundet, engineer Haakon Skogseth, researcher Astrid Solberg Gundersen, advisor Øyvind Løveseter Mikkelsen, advisor. Credit: Jørn Ove Sæternes
The service offered by The Regional Biobank of Central Norway is free. It is available for all laboratories via the internet. The employees at The Biobank provide good service to us as users to help raise the quality of samples and collected data. The Biobank is a very good tool in most research using human biological material.
Atefe Tari, Engineer at CERG
Cardiac Exercise Research Group 