The contents of the Nordic Childhood Leukaemia Bank

The biobank collects samples from children with leukaemia in the Nordic region. The sample material consists of cells from bone marrow, blood, serum, cerebrospinal fluid and extracted DNA and RNA.

There are usually samples from several different treatment sessions. In other words, from different points in time during the treatment period.

A sample from a leukaemia patient can generate several tubes of sample material from a single sampling. For some diagnoses, samples are taken on different occasions during the treatment. We prepare vital (living) cells from blood and bone marrow, and extract DNA and RNA for genetic studies.

In this way, the sample material from one sampling can be used for several different research projects and provide answers to many questions.

The number of samples taken each year since 1992, when childhood leukaemia biobanking began. In the Nordic region, around 300 children a year contract various types of leukaemia. The increase in sampling in 2020 and 2021 relates to follow-up samples

The bar chart shows the distribution of samples by country (1992 to December 2021).