Highlights
- Historic First: The Lithuanian Population and Rare Diseases Biobank officially opens at Vilnius University’s Faculty of Medicine — the first of its kind in the country.
- Citizen Participation: All Lithuanian residents, including children, are invited to participate, helping to build a national health resource for research and personalized medicine.
- Science & Society Impact: Biobank data will support cutting-edge biomedical research, improve disease prevention, and personalize healthcare for future generations.
Vilnius University The first Lithuanian population and rare disease biobank in the country has been officially opened at the Medical Sciences Center of the Faculty of Medicine. All Lithuanian residents, including children, are invited to become its participants. According to the founders of the biobank, it is each of us’s civic duty to contribute to creating a healthier society.
The symbolic opening ribbon was cut at the Medical Sciences Center of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University on Monday, marking a historic event for Lithuanian medical science. The university is launching the first population biobank – a licensed and strategically important scientific infrastructure. The population biobank will store, store and research a unique collection of our nation’s biological samples and other health information.
Historic moment: first blood samples for the biobank taken
During the opening event, the first blood samples of the population biobank participants were also taken. Among the first to give their blood samples for biobank research were Vilnius University Rector, Prof. Dr. Rimvydas Petrauskas, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Dr. Dalius Jatužis, Vice Minister of Health Daniel Naumovas, family doctor, Vilnius University Prof. Vytautas Kasiulevičius, discus thrower, Olympic, World and European champion, Member of the Seimas Virgilijus Alekna, Lithuanian National Culture and Art Prize laureate, playwright and director Marius Ivaškevičius, event director Aurimas Kamantauskas, television and radio host, moderator Živilė Kropaitė-Basiulė, and others.
The Director of the Lithuanian Population and Rare Diseases Biobank, Dr. Giedrė Kvedaravičienė, hoped that in the future a large part of the Lithuanian population would become participants in the population biobank. In her speech, she called on all Lithuanian citizens to become participants in the biobank, noting that this is a unique opportunity for each resident to personally contribute to creating a healthier society.
“I would like to emphasize that the success of the population biobank will depend on all of us. Every participant is important here, because the more extensive collection of biological samples we accumulate, the more value we will have for our science.”
I appeal to everyone: the scientific and academic community, Vilnius University alumni, doctors, teachers, athletes, cultural workers, journalists and all residents of Lithuania. Become participants in the population biobank – each of your contribution is extremely important. Let us all together create a healthier Lithuania – for ourselves and for other, future generations of our country,” said Dr. G. Kvedaravičienė, Director of the Lithuanian Population and Rare Diseases Biobank.
According to Dr. G. Kvedaravičienė, the successful operation of the biobank would not be possible without the financial support of sponsors, so she hoped that the business community would also contribute to the meaningful operation of the biobank.
One of the first sponsors of the biobank was the charity and support fund “Fund for Future Biomedicine”. The founder of the fund, which finances scientists, Prof. Arvydas Janulaitis, presented the biobank with a EUR 20,000 support check during the opening.
“It is obvious that this is one of the necessary elements of the healthcare system, responding to the need to develop personalized medicine in Lithuania,” said Prof. A. Janulaitis, considered the pioneer of modern biotechnology in Lithuania, about the establishment of the population biobank.
Who can become a biobank participant and how?
All Lithuanian residents, including children from birth (with the consent of both parents and guardians), are invited to become participants of the population bank. Residents who wish to become biobank participants are invited to register on the website https://biobankas.mf.vu.lt/, confirm their consent to become a biobank participant and fill out a questionnaire. Blood samples can be donated at the biobank laboratory at the VU MF Medical Science Center in Vilnius, or at the “Rezus” healthcare institutions in Vilnius, which are part of the biobank partner network. Beautiful and Šiauliai. In the future, as the biobank’s activities expand, it will be possible to do this in other cities and healthcare institutions.
The population biobank will collect, store and manage biological samples and health information from all healthy Lithuanian residents who do not suffer from critical illnesses (e.g. oncological diseases). This biobank will also store biological samples from residents suffering from rare diseases. Samples from patients suffering from critical illnesses are stored by other disease biobanks operating in Lithuania.
Currently, the biobank is beginning to collect and store blood samples from the Lithuanian population. In the future, based on the needs of society and medical science, it is planned to collect other biological samples.
The biobank has been granted a license from the State Accreditation Service for Healthcare Activities to carry out its activities. The health data of the population collected in the biobank will be stored in the data repositories and servers of the Vilnius University network, in compliance with the strictest data protection requirements.
It is noted that all information about biobank participants is confidential – scientists or researchers will not have access to the identifying data of people participating in the biobank. Samples stored in the biobank will be coded, and scientists conducting research in Lithuania will be granted access to them only after obtaining permission from the Lithuanian Bioethics Committee or a regional biomedical research ethics committee.
Participation in the biobank is voluntary and only possible after signing a consent form. If the resident expresses a wish, health-relevant information obtained during the research may be provided to their family doctor or the resident themselves personally.
In addition, each biobank participant will be able to withdraw their consent to participate in biobank activities at any time without giving a reason.
Biobank data can help fight the most common diseases
A biobank acts as a data library – researchers can use the samples and health information stored in it, instead of having to find new participants for each study.
According to scientists, the country’s first population biobank and the unique collection of biological samples of our nation that it has gradually accumulated will open up huge opportunities for the advancement of medical science and the improvement of public health. It can help us learn a lot of useful information about ourselves.
“For example, why we Lithuanians are more prone to cardiovascular diseases. The biobank will open up huge opportunities for health prevention, the development of digital medicine and the implementation of personalized medicine principles in clinical practice. We are entering a new era in Lithuanian medical science, and most importantly, every resident of Lithuania will now be able to be an active participant in our medical progress. All you need to do is give your blood sample,” says Dr. G. Kvedaravičienė, Director of the Lithuanian Population and Rare Diseases Biobank.
As stated by Vilnius University Rector Prof. R. Petrauskas, each biological sample is extremely valuable genetic information, which encodes the history of our nation and the health of future generations.
“This has huge potential for health prevention and the development of personalized medicine. I am proud that Vilnius University becomes the home of this nationally significant scientific infrastructure.
“Not only as the rector of Vilnius University, but also as a citizen, today I will happily become one of the first participants in the population biobank and I invite everyone to do the same. I would like to wish that participation in the population biobank would become an honorable civic duty for all of us. Our contribution to a healthier Lithuania,” noted VU Rector Prof. R. Petrauskas during the opening of the population biobank.
Meanwhile, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, Prof. D. Jatužis, points out that a population biobank can fundamentally change our perception of public health, quality of life, longevity, and healthy aging.
As the experience of other countries shows, using population biobank data can in the future create new advanced technologies and artificial intelligence-based tools for personal health prediction, disease prevention or management.
“It is an undeniable fact that our society will live longer and longer. However, at the same time, we increasingly understand that we want to live not only longer, but also healthier and better quality lives.”
The Lithuanian Population and Rare Diseases Biobank is precisely the tool that will open up many opportunities to ensure the quality of life of our population at different ages – that is, to achieve what we call healthy aging. This is a long-term goal that will require more than one year and all of our contributions. But this is precisely where the great strength and value of the population biobank lies,” says Prof. D. Jatužis, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Vilnius University.
Biobank data helped confirm the link between smoking and cancer
The fact that smoking causes cancer is a well-known fact today. According to Dr. Alina Urnikytė, a researcher at the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, the link between smoking and cancer was established in the 20th century through epidemiological studies, but it was the data from the UK Biobank and other large biomedical datasets that helped us understand the genetic factors that may make people more susceptible to the harm caused by smoking, and at the same time confirm the link between smoking and cancer in a much larger population.
“We do not fully know what factors cause cardiovascular diseases, while the incidence of these diseases in our country is increasing. Obesity is also growing among both children and adults, and it is also recognized as a disease. In order to find out what factors determine the occurrence and development of certain diseases, we, scientists conducting biomedical research, need a large sample. Significant discoveries in this area are possible only after examining a large part of the population. That is why it is important to have a population biobank,” explains Dr. A. Urnikytė.
The scientist emphasizes that the data accumulated in the population biobank also has lasting value from an evolutionary point of view. “Evolution occurs with each generation approximately every thirty years. What we accumulate in the biobank now, we will leave to future generations. The accumulated data will allow us to compare how the Lithuanian genome or the frequency of certain biological markers changed over different generations, what impact this had on important changes related to the incidence of certain diseases,” adds Dr. A. Urnikytė.
VU professor V. Kasiulevičius: participation in the biobank is beneficial for residents
According to VU professor and family physician V. Kasiulevičius, participation in the biobank is beneficial for both science and the average person for various reasons. According to him, the biobank data will encourage the transition to more precise and effective medicine.
“First of all, biobank participants receive feedback on their health indicators – cholesterol levels, genetic predispositions to certain diseases, etc. This allows them to take preventive actions to protect their health.”
For example, participants in the Estonian Biobank, which has been operating since 2000, receive personalized genetic messages that help identify health risks early. This encourages a proactive approach to health, rather than just reacting to existing problems,” says V. Kasiulevičius.
According to the professor, for an ordinary citizen, participation in a population biobank means that in the long run their treatment may become more effective, cheaper, and more tailored to their genetic profile.
“For example, data from the UK Biobank has already contributed to the development of new drugs for heart disease. By participating in the biobank, residents contribute to the well-being of society – their data can help prevent epidemics, better understand the spread of diseases, or even reduce healthcare costs through more effective prevention. This is especially relevant in smaller countries like Lithuania, where genetic diversity is limited, and local data helps solve specific problems.”
“On the other hand, genetic information can also reveal various hereditary risks that are relevant not only to the participant himself, but also to his children or grandchildren. Knowledge about the predisposition to diseases (e.g. breast cancer or diabetes) allows families to take early preventive measures,” says V. Kasiulevičius.
He has no doubt that once the biobank’s activities gain momentum and sufficient data is accumulated, it can significantly change the daily routine of family doctors and the efficiency of their work.
“A family doctor, having received the consent of a patient participating in the biobank, will be able to use the biobank data to determine the patient’s genetic predisposition to diseases (e.g. hypertension or type 1 diabetes). Based on the information accumulated by the biobank, the doctor will then be able to adapt an individualized prevention plan for the patient. For example, if the biobank data shows that a certain population has a common BRCAXNUMX gene mutation, the doctor will be able to offer early breast cancer screening. This will allow for the prescription of targeted tests or medications.”
Biobank data can help create algorithms or risk models that a doctor can use in everyday practice. For example, based on the experience of the UK biobank, heart disease risk calculators are already being developed that integrate genetic and lifestyle data. A family doctor will be able to more quickly identify at-risk patients and refer them to specialists,” notes Prof. V. Kasiulevičius.
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