FinnGen

FinnGen is a national biomedical research program in Finland that links genetic data from Finnish biobanks with health data from national registries to study the genetic basis of common diseases and to identify potential drug targets. Launched in 2018 as a public-private partnership, it combines academic expertise with industry collaboration to accelerate translational research.

Governance is led by the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) at the University of Helsinki, in collaboration with partner biobanks, hospitals, and research institutions. It is supported by Finnish funders including Business Finland. Data governance emphasizes ethical approvals, privacy protection, and controlled access; researchers submit applications to the FinnGen Data Access Committee.

The project uses genotyping data from hundreds of thousands of participants, linked to comprehensive health records such as diagnoses, medications, and mortality. Data are pseudonymized and linked under strict governance to protect privacy. Analyses focus on discovering genetic variants associated with diseases and traits, understanding disease mechanisms, and evaluating drug targets and pharmacogenomic relationships.

FinnGen aims to produce robust genetic associations, contribute to insights into disease biology, and enable pharmacogenomics and polygenic risk scoring. Findings are shared through scientific publications and by providing controlled access to resources for the research community. The initiative also serves as a resource for pharmaceutical and biotechnology research, supporting translational science.

As one of the largest Nordic biobank–based genetics initiatives, FinnGen continues to expand its cohorts and data linkages, reflecting ongoing efforts to integrate genomics with real-world clinical data in Finland.