Taiwan Regulation of Biobanks

Abstract

Taiwan is an island country situated in the northwest Pacific, close to the southeast of China. The land area is about 36,000 square kilometers. The population of Taiwan is about 23 million, and it consists of the majority Han ethnic groups (it can be further divided into Ho-ló, Hakka, and Mainlander) and dozens of minority groups who are collectively called “Formosan,” an appellation for indigenous peoples in Taiwan. Formosans can be divided into Pingpu (plain-land indigenous peoples) and Gaoshan (mountain indigenous peoples) by their living area. In recent years, marriages between Taiwanese, Mainland Chinese, and Southeast Asians have increased significantly. Because of the genetic background of the Taiwanese people, it was thought to be highly beneficial for Taiwan to establish a biobank specifically designed for the Taiwanese population, as it would enable large-scale cohort studies to be carried out for common diseases occurring in Taiwan.

Effects of sex, tobacco smoking, and alcohol consumption osteoporosis development: Evidence from Taiwan biobank participants

“…In Taiwan, owing to its well-established healthcare system, life expectancy and therefore the proportion of older adults has been increasing. The 2005The -2008 National Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT) investigated the prevalence of osteoporosis by measuring BMD, and it was discovered that the prevalence of osteoporosis had increased since the 1999-2000 NAHSIT 15,16 . Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption also increased in prevalence after 2000, when Taiwan became a member of WTO.…”

Low Albumin, Low Bilirubin, and High Alfa-Fetoprotein Are Associated with a Rapid Renal Function Decline in a Large Population Follow-Up Study

“…Data for this study were obtained from the Taiwan Biobank (TWB), which is the largest biobank in Taiwan. The TWB was established by the Taiwanese government to record lifestyle and genomic data of community-based Taiwanese residents aged 30 to 70 years with no history of cancer [ 20 , 21 ].…”

The Influential Associating Factors for Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Propensity Score-matched Analysis

“…This study consisted of Taiwanese individuals from the Taiwan Biobank 17,18 , which is the largest community-based cohort study in Taiwan with the purpose of providing a tremendous source for biomedical research and identifying disease-related factors and mechanisms of common diseases since 2012. As of August 1, 2020, this Biobank is comprised of over 130,000 community-based individuals, with inclusion criteria being community-based individuals aged 30 to 70 without history of cancer(s).…”

“…Some mature women aged over 30 however, do suffer from the same illness as younger women, and only a few studies 1,16 have covered this mature population. Hence, in this study, we analyzed mature female individuals from the government-based Taiwan Biobank database 17,18 and utilized the propensity-score matched method to mitigate the effects of age and the causes of secondary dysmenorrhea. All in all, the purpose of this study was to investigate the in uential and modi able factors, in terms of health behaviors, lifestyles and dietary habits, for primary dysmenorrhea, especially in a Taiwanese population.…”