How to Use BioBank Japan's
Samples and Data

How to Use BioBank Japan’s Online Biological
Sample Search System
Outline of BioBank Japan’s Online Biological Sample Search System
ISO Certifications

To Patients Who Have Cooperated with our Project

BioBank Virtual tour
Tailor-made Medical Treatment Program

About BioBank Japan

In 2003, BioBank Japan (BBJ) started developing one of the world’s largest disease biobanks, creating a foundation for research aimed at achieving medical care tailored to the individual traits of each patient. From a total of 260,000 patients representing 440,000 cases of 51 primarily multifactorial (common) diseases, BBJ has collected DNA, serum, medical records (clinical information), etc. with their consent. No less than 5,800 items of screened information are available for research, including the patients’ survival information, with 95% of the patients tracked over an average of 10 years. In addition to large-scale genomic analyses, omics analyses including whole genome sequencing and metabolome/proteome analyses have been performed on the DNA, serum and other biological samples collected, producing significant research findings. The genomic information acquired through the analyses continues to be used as data. The biological samples and data are widely distributed and used by researchers.

From April 2003 to February 2008, BBJ collected DNA, serum and clinical information from more than 201,800 patients with their consent for 47 target diseases as the first cohort, with support from 12 medical institutions (66 hospitals). In July 2011, BBJ started tracking the registered patients to update the database and accumulate interannual data regarding their clinical information and serum. Furthermore, in April 2013, BBJ started collecting DNA and clinical information for its second cohort from some 66,000 new patients, targeting 38 diseases with the cooperation of 12 medical institutions (52 hospitals), completing the collection in August 2017. In addition, in 2015 BBJ started collaborating with clinical research bodies for cancer and other diseases in Japan, and established a new tissue bank.

Since 2018, BBJ has been operated and managed as a biobank project aimed at promoting the utilization of the registered samples and data acquired over the years for genomic and clinical research.

More than 500 papers based on BBJ’s samples and information have been published in international scientific journals as of the end of March 2020, presenting research findings concerning, for example, the association between genetic information of Japanese individuals and the onset of various diseases. Discoveries have been reported of genes related to diseases and drugs as well as physical traits and biomarkers. Such findings are anticipated to be shared and utilized by researchers around the world, contributing to the realization of genomic medicine.

BBJ has hosted facility tours for government officials, members of research and educational institutions, private corporations, patient groups, students and many more, both from within Japan as well as from over 20 countries around the world.

Greeting

Koichi MATSUDA

Director, BioBank Japan

Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
Project Professor, Institute for Medical Science, The University of Tokyo

Aiming to implement genomic medicine
- the realization of medical care tailored to each individual's genetic makeup

Many aspects of each individual's physical characteristics and personality are determined by genes written in DNA, and the sequence of this DNA is called the genome. The human genome consists of approximately 3 billion genetic codes linked together. Advances in genomic research in recent years have made it possible to predict what diseases individuals are prone to and even anticipate appropriate medication methods.

BioBank Japan (BBJ) was launched in 2003 within the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo as a leading project of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for the implementation of personalized medicine. Over the first to third phases, with the cooperative medical institutions nationwide, BBJ received bio-samples and medical information from around 270,000 patients. Having thus become one of the world's largest disease biobanks, BBJ initiated its fifth phase in April 2023. By further analyzing the provided bio-samples, BBJ aims to enhance its role as a data infrastructure for genomic medicine. Simultaneously, the organization promotes the utilization of the samples and medical information it possesses by researchers, supporting basic, applied, and practical research to contribute to the advancement of genomic medicine.

In recent years, significant changes have occurred in diseases and their treatment methods that pose threats to our health, such as the emergence of COVID-19. BBJ, in collaboration with medical institutions, regularly updates participants' clinical information and introduces the latest research methods. The samples, medical information, and genomic data stored by BBJ are continued to be utilized by numerous researchers and companies around the globe striving to develop new diagnostics and treatments for various diseases and infections, all while ensuring the utmost protection of personal information. Starting its activities in the fifth phase from 2023, BBJ continues its efforts to further utilize its valuable assets to meet the precious intentions and expectations of everyone who has cooperated thus far.

I express my gratitude to all those who have collaborated with BBJ, and I kindly ask for your continued support and cooperation in the future.

Koichi MATSUDA