Taiwan Biobank: A rich biomedical research database of the Taiwanese population
Journal
Cell genomics
Journal Volume
2
Journal Issue
11
Date Issued
2022-11-09
Author(s)
Chen, Chia-Yen
Chen, Tzu-Ting
Hsu, Yi-Hsiang
Yang, Hwai-I
Su, Ming-Wei
Chu, Hou-Wei
Shen, Chen-Yang
Ge, Tian
Huang, Hailiang
Lin, Yen-Feng
Abstract
The Taiwan Biobank (TWB) is an ongoing prospective study of >150,000 individuals aged 20-70 in Taiwan. A comprehensive list of phenotypes was collected for each consented participant at recruitment and follow-up visits through structured interviews and physical measurements. Biomarkers and genetic data were generated from blood and urine samples. We present here an overview of TWB's genetic data quality, population structure, and familial relationship, which consists of predominantly Han Chinese ancestry, and highlight its important attributes and genetic findings thus far. A linkage to Taiwan's National Health Insurance database of >25 years and other registries is underway to enrich the phenotypic spectrum and enable deep and longitudinal genetic investigations. TWB provides one of the largest biobank resources for biomedical and public health research in East Asia that will contribute to our understanding of the genetic basis of health and disease in global populations through collaborative studies with other biobanks.
SDGs
Publisher
Cell Press
Type
journal article