GENEROOS: The role of genetics in weight loss research - contacting study participants via MyBiobank service | Fingenious® – Your gateway to Finnish biobanks and biomedical research

Problem statement

The prevalence of both overweight and obesity is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. In fact, it is estimated that 2.16 billion adults (38%) will be overweight, and 1.12 billion adults (20%) will be obese by 2030. Among other risk factors (e.g., environmental, behavioural, and medical), genetics holds an important role. There have been numerous diet intervention studies aimed at reducing body weight in overweight and obese individuals; however, little is known about the effect of genetic background in impacting the effectiveness of diet interventions. The aim of the study is to determine whether a polygenic score for body mass index (BMI) impacts the effectiveness of dietary/lifestyle intervention in reducing BMI among individuals with elevated BMI.

Study population

GENEROOS is a study that aims to determine the role of genetics in weight loss. In other words, can some people lose weight more easily than others because of their genetic background? To achieve this, ~1200 participants were recontacted to participate in the study by the Finnish Clinical Biobank Tampere (FCBT). The participants were 30-65 years old, had elevated BMI (overweight or obese), available genetic information, and had provided electronic informed consent via their Biobank. The research team identified eligible individuals that had a very low or very high polygenic score for BMI (i.e., top and bottom 5%), and the biobank recontacted participants and provided all the study material. Participants who successfully enrolled in the study were randomly assigned into two groups, the diet coaching program, and the control. In addition, all participants were asked to answer a short online questionnaire and come for an in-person visit at the beginning and at the end of the study to have their weight and height measured by a research nurse, as well as provide a blood sample.

Outcomes

The GENEROOS study was enabled by MyBiobank, a digital first-in-class service, and Finnish Clinical Biobank Tampere for recontacting and inviting the study participants (https://omabiopankki. fingenious.fi/). MyBiobank was integrated with the REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) platform and the GENEROOS study questionnaire into which the study participants were forwarded to provide patient-reported outcomes. The study leveraged existing genome data of Finnish individuals, (also available in the biobanks) and recalled participants selected by using their BMI polygenic scores.

“GENEROOS study is perhaps the first study worldwide to have successfully identified and recontacted individuals to enrol in a research study based on their polygenic score. This would have not been possible without the unique research ecosystem in Finland, including the available genetic information from ~10% of the Finnish population, the Finnish Biobank network, and legislation”, says Rodos Rodosthenous, study coordinator of the GENEROOS study and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki.

“Finnish hospital biobanks are able to find study participants efficiently based on high-quality genotype-phenotype data. The digital MyBiobank service is an exciting service for all kinds of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and clinical studies. The collaboration with GENEROOS researchers was outstanding and co-creating in nature and we are grateful for the collaboration benefiting citizens and patients in Finland" says Marco Hautalahti, CEO of Finnish Biobank Cooperative – FINBB.

Fingenious®, operated by Finnish Biobank Cooperative – FINBB, is a gateway to Finnish biobanks and biomedical research that offers researchers easy access to high-quality public biobank samples, data, cohorts, and recruitable study participants. FINBB aims to enhance the competitiveness of Finnish health and biomedical research by providing researchers with centralized access to collections and services of the Finnish biobanks and their background organizations. FINBB's activities create value for its members and owners by providing services at the national level. FINBB is a cooperative owned by five well-being services counties, HUS, the six largest universities in Finland, and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). FINBB has eight member biobanks.