Taiwan Biobank: a rich biomedical research database of the Taiwanese population

The Taiwan Biobank (TWB) is an ongoing prospective study of over 150,000 individuals aged 30-70 recruited from across Taiwan beginning in 2012. A comprehensive list of phenotypes was collected for each consented participant at recruitment and follow-up visits through structured interviews and physical measurements. Biomarkers and genetic data were also generated for all participants from blood and urine samples. We present here an overview of the genetic data quality, population structure, and familial relationship within TWB, which consists of predominantly Han Chinese-ancestry individuals, and highlight important attributes and genetic findings thus far from the biobank. A linkage to Taiwan’s National Health Insurance database of >25 years and other health-related registries is underway that will enrich the phenotypic spectrum of TWB and enable deep and longitudinal genetic investigations. TWB provides one of the largest biobank resources for biomedical and public health research in East Asia that will contribute to our understanding of the genetic basis of human health and disease in global populations through collaborative studies with other biobanks.