Genetics, lifestyle, and health - biobank study (BioRecall)
Table of contents
Project description
Purpose of the project
The project has established a digital operating model for recall-based studies. The model was piloted in the Central Finland Biobank in spring 2025 among individuals with type 2 diabetes (N=1580). In year 2026, the data collection will be expanded to all donors in the Central Finland biobank (N=28 000). The ultimate goal is to expand the operating model of this recall-based study and lifestyle/environment data collection to all Finnish biobanks.
As part of the project, a survey questionnaire was developed in collaboration with the University of Eastern Finland and the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland. The questionnaire covers areas such as physical activity and dietary habits, substance use, stress experience, mood, sleep, occupational exposures, and living environment. Data collection is implemented using the REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) software, which is suitable for collecting sensitive information. The project aims to motivate participants to respond to the comprehensive survey by providing immediate feedback after completing the questionnaire. Data collection is conducted by the Central Finland Biobank, which is jointly owned by the University of Jyväskylä and the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland. Invitations to participants are sent via the wellbeing services county’s digital service platform, OmaHyvaks.
The anticipated benefits
The digital operating model for collecting and utilizing lifestyle information developed in the project could be widely implemented in healthcare and biobanks in the future. By combining data on individuals’ genetic susceptibility to diseases, lifestyle, and risk factors for chronic conditions, more effective and personalized health promotion and disease prevention services can be developed.
Using this operating model, researchers can conduct recall-based studies, inviting participants for more targeted laboratory measurements or interventions based on their individual risk profiles. These personalized risk profiles may include information about genetic susceptibility, diagnoses, lifestyle, or their combinations.
Since the beginning of 2023, the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä and the Central Finland Biobank have initiated a model in which all faculty-led projects offer participants the opportunity to provide biobank consent or samples. This initiative will contribute to increasing the volume of Central Finland Biobank in the future. The BioRecall is a natural continuation of this collaborative effort between the well-being cervices county and the university.
Funding
The project is funded by the Research Council of Finland, which has granted funding to the BBMRI.FI consortium through its research infrastructure funding instrument. BBMRI.fi is a research infrastructure composed of all ten Finnish public biobanks. The coordination of BBMRI.fi activities fall under the responsibility of FINBB.
The data collection for BioRecall is also part of the University of Jyväskylä’s profiling project Ageing, Environment and Functioning (ENVIS-AGE).
The pilot phase of the project was funded by JYU.Well, the well-being research community at the University of Jyväskylä.
