Our main cohort is the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study, NSHDS, with over 135,000 participants.
Many participants have donated more than one blood sample and it is therefore possible to monitor how biomarkers develop over time before disease onset.
Plasma, erythrocytes and buffy coat are frozen within one hour from sampling, ensuring high quality for biochemical analyses.
Questionnaire data are available for diet and life-style factors. Linkage to disease registers is possible.
Studies are generally made in collaboration with local researchers and NSHDS has been used for hundreds of publications.
The sample collection consists of three subcohorts, VIP, MA and MO
VIP - Västerbotten Intervention Programme
The cohort is population-based and consists of blood and data from primarily 40, 50 and 60 year olds, taken every year in this age group in connection with the Västerbotten health surveys from 1985 - present.
The blood samples consist primarily of EDTA and heparin blood samples divided into plasma, erythrocyte concentrate and buffy coat and for a certain percentage, the DNA is extracted.
Survey data concerning health-related lifestyle factors can be linked to the blood samples, and a number of user tables have been created. A large part is fasting samples.
The database NSDD consists of survey data from VIP concerning nutritional factors.
Individuals with samples: 107,500 Individuals with repeated samples: 41,900 Sampling occasions: 160,000 (August 2018)
MA - The Mammography Screening Project
Samples and data are collected in connection with mammography screenings 1995-2006. The blood samples consist primarily of EDTA and heparin blood samples divided into plasma, erythrocyte concentrate and buffy coat, and for a certain percentage, the DNA is also extracted. The cohort consists of women, 18-82 years old (95% between 48 and 70 years old).
Survey data can be linked to the blood samples.
Individuals: 28,800 Individuals with repeated samples: 14,600 Sampling occasions: 54,000
MO - The Northern Sweden Monica Project
The MONICA study is a longitudinal population-based database for research in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Since 1985, seven screenings has been performed (1986, 1990, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014) of a randomized selection of the population in the counties of Västerbotten and Norrbotten in Northern Sweden.
