The medicine world needs great data – The power of Finland’s biobanks: A global healthcare revolution
While digital health-tech products have garnered their share of global attention, Finland’s most formidable asset in the realm of healthcare innovation may well be its extensive network of biobanks and research centers. Eight major biobanks, meticulously collecting, analyzing, and storing a treasure trove of Finnish data samples, serve as the cornerstone of a healthcare revolution with global implications.
The magic of Finland’s approach lies in the seamless fusion of these biobanks with the country’s single-payer healthcare system, where every Finnish citizen is enrolled under one national program. This fusion allows for the comprehensive mapping, grouping, and analysis of the entire population structure. With Finland’s historical reputation for a largely isolated and homogenous population, this unique synergy presents exceptional opportunities to target genomic variations that underlie diseases.
In the words of Dr. Aarno Palotie, a faculty member at the Centre for Human Genome Research in Boston and at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, “What the modern medical vision needs is big data.” However, he underscores that biobank samples, on their own, hold little value unless linked with relevant data. Finland’s healthcare system, interlinked with social security numbers, offers access to longitudinal healthcare data spanning decades, a feat that remains elusive in many places worldwide.
Cooperation is the backbone of this healthcare transformation, with close collaboration existing between public and private organizations and enterprises in Finland. The nation’s instrumental role in developing Europe’s legislation for the implementation and security of health-related data, as well as its domestic legislative refinements, are key to creating new research and innovation opportunities.
To bolster its reputation as the premiere destination for medical research and business, Finland has enacted a series of supportive measures. Government backing is instrumental, with ministries actively working to ease regulatory burdens, particularly in the context of health-related studies. The establishment of a genome center, overseen by a working group appointed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, exemplifies Finland’s commitment to fostering research and innovation.
Sitra, the state-based Finnish Innovation Fund, has taken a leading role in enhancing collaboration transparency between global pharmaceutical companies and Finnish medical faculties through the implementation of the Medical Research Map. This initiative has received substantial support, with five Finnish medical faculties and 16 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical corporations actively contributing.
One of the most promising aspects of this transformation is the potential for multinational pharmaceutical companies to collaborate with domestic medical faculties in research related to cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Recent surveys underscore the tremendous potential for cooperation in these critical healthcare domains.
The Finnish healthcare sector is primed for substantial growth, with Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, projecting investments reaching into the hundreds of millions of euros over the next five years. While competition looms large, with countries like the UK and China amassing substantial biobanks and data sets, Finland’s strength lies in the unparalleled quality and depth of its data. Longitudinal studies, observing the same variables over multiple decades, are a goldmine for a variety of study designs, particularly in the context of drug development.
Dr. Palotie’s statement, “Finland has a tradition of doing this type of research,” encapsulates the essence of Finland’s pioneering role. The nation’s data quality, unique healthcare register data, top-notch infrastructure, and legal and ethical regulatory systems in sync with countries housing big pharma headquarters all contribute to its standing as a global leader in healthcare innovation.
In conclusion, Finland’s biobanks and research centers represent a beacon of hope in the quest for revolutionary advances in healthcare and medical research. With its commitment to data-driven innovation, strategic collaboration, and unwavering government support, Finland has positioned itself as a driving force behind the future of global healthcare. The stage is set for Finland to continue its tradition of excellence in medical research, redefining the boundaries of what is possible in healthcare innovation.
Source: finland.fi/business-innovation/medicine-world-needs-great-data-finlands-got/
M.Sc.Econ. Lassi Pensikkala
International Business Consultant based in Samborondón, Ecuador
