BioMed Taiwan

In the recent years, we have seen a rapid advancement on the field of precision medicine with the integration of artificial intelligence. More specifically, the emerging development of biobanking in precision medicine. In general, biobanking describes processes of collection, transfer, analysis, storage and distribution of biological samples (bodily fluid or tissues) for biomedical researches to have a better understanding of the health and disease. These biobanking data are fundamental to the development of biomedical innovative technology and product and the cornerstone of precision medicine progress in Taiwan. To promote effectively the value and efficiency of the biobank, Executive Yuan has been actively coordinating Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) to harmonize all biobanks in the country and establish National Biobank Consortium of Taiwan. The goal is to form a large and comprehensive database network for future sharing to enhance the ecosystem of the biomedical industry and improve the competitive edge of Taiwan. On Oct. 30th, 2019, “Launch of Taiwan Precision Medicine and National Biobank Consortium of Taiwan Press Conference” was held at National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center. In this event, representatives from all 31 biobanks gathered to witness the start of this milestone. This also marked the first time at which the presidents and vice presidents of 27 major medical centers and regional hospitals from all corners of Taiwan united under one roof to root and support this launch. In addition, we also invited AI experts and tech companies to share their expectations and visions on how to utilize this platform for aspiring medical innovation and help Taiwan leaping into a promising “precision” prospect. Combine with our excellent medical system, extraordinary clinical environment and top-ranked health insurance system in the world, all 31 biobanks has collectively accumulated close to 4.5 million samples and recruited 460,000 participants, these data provide Taiwan with unique advantages to push precision medicine forward constantly and consistently. In addition, our multi-disciplinary talents in the ICT industry cross-collaborate with talents from biomedical industry (Bio-IT) to digitize and link different types of health information for the application in precision drug development and personalized medicine. It is our goal to be at the revolutionary forefront of the precision breakthrough to benefit the patients and improve the overall welfare of global citizens. National Biobank Consortium of Taiwan was built on joint efforts of government, industry, academia and medical communities. The next collaborative project is to create a potential big data network that merge other databases such as the national health insurance database, electronic health record, cancer registry and rare disease database to add more values and pertinent applications on this biobank platform. This remarkable big data network will serve as the driving force for Taiwan’s transitional medicine and industrial innovation. More importantly, it will act as a powerful tool for quicker, more efficient, better quality clinical research as we foster global partnerships on the advancement of precision medicine.

Contact: Director of Biotechnology, Health, Medicine and Agriculture Division, Office of Science and Technology, Executive Yuan of Taiwan. Dr. Tsu-Hui (Annie) Liu. annieliu@ey.gov.tw +886227377434