CVD

HUNT Biosciences will add significant value to new CVD diagnostics and treatments in:

• The development of biomarkers for early prediction and  detection of CVD 
• The development of new treatment options based on long term cohort information covering as many as three generations of family information about the development of CVD
• Health economy studies and subsequent documentation based on long-term follow-up of a large homogenous population

HUNT Biosciences key resources:

• Bio-repository and data
   
  • HUNT comprises a stable and homogenous population very low on immigration and emigration. Furthermore, the HUNT population is very well characterised through over 500 peer-reviewed publications, and more than 60 completed PhD degrees
  • The HUNT CVD cohort consists of more than 20,000 major CVD events self reported by HUNT donors that have been characterised in detail through several HUNT sub-studies. The scientific production constitutes around 100 publications including several high impact journals (e.g. BMJ, Circulation and Neurology) and 14 PhD theses.
  • More than 5000 of the study participants have later experienced a clinically validated myocardial infarction (incident case)
  • Comprehensive information from questionnaires covering lifestyle parameters, such as use of tobacco, exercise, family history and general quality of life  

• Regulatory approval and quality assurance
   
  • Speedier approval, especially if Norway is rapporteur reference/country (MRP or DCP)
  • With the huge number of donors, HUNT can provide documentation for new indications on existing drugs. As part of this, HUNT may also offer clinical intervention studies on very well characterised donor groups making the biobank a unique recourse in the planning of such studies
  • The HUNT biobank is certified according to the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Standard

• Principal Investigators and Investigations 
   
  • HUNT is part of the Medical Faculty at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the University Hospital of St. Olav. More than 1.000 medical professionals are part of the HUNT network.     

• Access to other registries
   
  • Disease cohorts and matched controls can be identified using unique personal identification numbers (PIN) and clinical end-points registries (e.g. registries for cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia)
  • Medication can be identified using the national prescription registry
  • Hereditary factors related to disease can be studied linking HUNT to the national family registry
  • Deceased donors can be matched using the national cause of death registry