The Malmö Population-Based Cohorts Joint Database

MAPOP-C

We are in contact (as a member) with the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) (http://epic.iarc.fr/), where we collaborate on data for prediction of cancer, but also in subprojects for prediction of type 2 diabetes (EPIC-INTERACT) and cardiovascular disease (EPIC-CVD). These entities also represent research infrastructures (platforms) from where researchers may apply for data and biobank samples.

In Sweden, MAPOP-C is a part of the Strategic Research Area (SRA) Epidemiology for Health (SRA EpiHealth) at the Lund and Uppsala universities for excellence in advanced epidemiology. Another SRA with which we collaborate is SRA EXODIAB at the Lund and Uppsala universities for advanced research in diabetes.

Furthermore, we are affiliated with a national network for joint collaboration between cohorts named COHORTS.SE that is organized from the Uppsala University (www.cohorts.se). This also applies to the national study, “Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study” (SCAPIS) that is ongoing, forming a new infrastructure in epidemiological research of national importance. As one part of SCAPIS takes place in Malmö (http://www.med.lu.se/scapis_i_malmoe), this provides as with opportunities for comparison of data and sharing experiences in data handling,

Finally, we collaborate with “Svensk Nationell Datatjänst”, SND (http://snd.gu.se/sv), as part of the 50 cohort studies from the Scania region (the Scania Meta-Database) that are now visible at SND belonging to a project supported by SRA EpiHealth and BBMRI Service Center in Southern Sweden, as well as Region Skåne (county council). We provide meta-data and not individualized data from our cohorts to SND, in agreement with the law.
The MPP cohort is visible at the SND web-site, as shown here: http://snd.gu.se/sv/catalogue/study/EXT0013
and the MDCS cohort at http://snd.gu.se/sv/catalogue/study/EXT0012.

The MAPOP-C infrastructure consists of a data management unit, with three employees (one data manager, one biobank technician, one research nurse). The National Board on Health and Welfare authority has recognized MAPOP-C as a local research infrastructure of national interest, based on the Research Council of Sweden funding 2009-2015, and not a common research project. This means that we have been given access to individual data (personal ID based) for our cohort subjects on a scale that is not possible for regular research projects.

The MAPOP-C infrastructure has three employed persons (data manager, biobank technician, and a research nurse). In addition we have a robot for REMP handling of blood, plasma, serum or urine samples from screening studies, in order to prepare for further biobank storage.

We have a biobank resource linked to the MPP and MDC cohorts, and also collaborate with the Region Skåne (county council) biobank, named BD47, for storage of biobank samples from the cohorts, including genetic materials (DNA) and faeces samples for microbiota analyses.

Our very large-scale cohorts represent >60,000 unique individuals and their collected data. These data are stored on data servers that our experienced manager (Anders Dahlin) controls and supervises on a daily basis. In addition we have about 20 freezers (minus 80 degrees) in Malmö for storage of our biobank materials. The rest of the biobank collections is stored in the Region Skåne (county council) Biobank BD 47 in Lund.

Researchers from all branches and faculties are welcome to apply for data or biobank samples to our Steering Committee, provided that an ethical permission to use the data/samples exists and that a project plan is submitted and the administrative fees are paid for. This also applies to national and international researchers, as well as representatives from the industry or research institutes.

The organization of the Malmö Population-Based Cohorts Joint Database (MAPOP-C) infrastructure is led by a steering committee (Chairman: Olle Melander, Professor) with 7 voting members to take decisions on submitted applications for data requests that we receive. The steering committee meets approximately bi-monthly for 2-3 hours, going through all applications for data sharing, when protocols are written afterwards and kept, but also shared with the National Board on Health and Welfare based on an agreement. The Steering Committee is also responsible for the management and financing of the infrastructure in general.