Biobank Sweden completes English translation of the new Swedish Biobank Act
The national infrastructure Biobank Sweden is currently working on a nation-wide implementation of the new Swedish Biobank Act which comes into force on July 1, 2023. As a way of increasing the understanding of the new regulation, Biobank Sweden has produced an unofficial English translation of the new Biobank Act available for download.
Sweden will replace its existing Biobank Act on July 1, 2023, as the Riksdag agreed on earlier this year. The Biobank Act (2023:38) is similar to the current regulation in its purpose to protect the integrity of sample donors. However, it is also expected to increase the accessibility of sample collections for research and clinical trials while reducing current administration within the Swedish regions.
The new regulation comes twenty years after the current Biobank Act came into force back in 2003, when Sweden was one of the first countries in the world to regulate the use of biological samples in a separate law. Still, with the new legislation only a few months away, there is currently no official translation of the new Swedish Biobank Act. Therefore, Biobank Sweden has produced an unofficial English translation of the Biobank Act, with the aim of increasing understanding and knowledge of the new act, especially amongst researchers.
Sonja Eaker Fält, Chair of Biobank Sweden:
– We have a lot of activities going-on which focuses on increasing the overall understanding of the new legislation. We are updating documents while providing educational efforts for personnel in the Swedish regions. This translation of the Biobank Act is another example of how Biobank Sweden tries to meet the needs of stakeholders within healthcare and research affected by the new Biobank Act.