Estonian Biobank and Nightingale Health complete initial phase of collaboration by profiling 250 metabolites from 200,000 blood samples

In 2021, the Estonian Biobank (EstBB) entered into a collaboration with the Finnish health tech company Nightingale Health Oy (Nightingale).

The initial phase of this partnership has been now successfully completed; this involved profiling up to 250 metabolites from plasma samples of 200,000 EstBB participants.

The addition of comprehensive biomarker data to the EstBB collection includes a wide range of metabolites such as lipids, apolipoproteins, amino acids, fatty acids, lipoprotein particles, inflammation, and glycolysis-related metabolites, among others.

Notably, the measurement includes 39 clinically validated biomarkers, which can be used in the same way as traditional clinical biomarkers. Professor Tõnu Esko, Head of the Estonian Biobank Innovation Center at the University of Tartu, anticipates that this in-depth molecular analysis of health, incorporating both lifestyle and genetics, will have a wide range of scientific applications and benefits for both the Estonian population and the global community, including advancements in drug development. 

In the upcoming phase of the collaboration, will be joint research into the molecular factors of disease depositions and biomarker-based risk models – the focus will be on genomics, metabolomics and clinical biomarkers.

The Estonian Biobank provides an excellent platform for testing, validating, and implementing innovative, data-based personal preventive models that promote healthy lifestyles. This is made possible by the imminent implementation of various omics-based services within the Estonian healthcare sector in the near future.