Biobank Sweden granted SEK 10 million to coordinate COVID-19 samples

The national research infrastructure Biobank Sweden has been granted SEK 10 million from the Swedish Research Council to coordinate the collection and accessibility of samples related to COVID-19.

In order to allow COVID-19 samples collected in the health care system to be used the best way for research purposes it is essential that the samples are collected and stored the right way, and that correct information about them is available. With the granted funding, Biobank Sweden will make sure that the handling of collected sample is standardised and that sampling and storage in biobanks is made strategically.

“The goal is to provide an organised resource with samples and data about the samples from COVID-19 patients, to be used for research. The funding will be used both for a geographically distributed collection of regular sample types, that can be used for various types of research, and to collect samples that require more qualified handling but can be more valuable for research,” says Tobias Sjöblom, professor at IGP and director of Biobank Sweden.

The grant from the Swedish Research Council will be used in the years 2020-2021 and includes support to the health care regions to cover costs for samples taken from COVID-19 patients and that can be made available for future research. Through the national coordination, information about current COVID-19 related biobanks and sample collections will also be made available, for instance via the Swedish and European COVID-19 portals and the European biobank organisation, BBMRI-ERIC.

More information on the Swedish Research Council web (in Swedish)

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