The Biobank Center in “KFSH&RC”… an investment to enhance health care in the Kingdom

The Biobank Center at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center constitutes a pioneering project that aims to enhance its ability to provide customized and innovative medical care that deals with the complexities of rare and chronic diseases, and accelerates medical innovation, by employing the latest technologies in collecting and preserving biological samples such as blood, tissues and DNA. With a targeted storage capacity of up to 10 million samples, which contributes to providing high-quality vital resources to conduct advanced medical research to enhance the quality of health care provided to society. The biobank represents an advanced model in providing resources and accurate data to enhance clinical trials. Advanced, as it relies on the application of strict protocols that guarantee the quality of samples for long periods, with comprehensive documentation of health data, medical history, and demographic factors for each sample, which allows samples to be effectively tracked and analyzed to support long-term research that contributes to confronting chronic and rare diseases, and developing new treatments, with commitment Fully complies with international standards to ensure the reliability of the results.

Dr. Björn Zoega, Executive Vice President of King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, stressed that the Biobank Center is an essential part of Specialist’s strategy to enhance the Kingdom’s leadership as a global center in the field of medical innovation, as the bank enhances our ability to transform biological data into accurate scientific insights in an unprecedented way. .

Dr. Amal Qattan, a molecular oncologist at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, confirms that the biobank is distinguished in the Kingdom by its advanced specifications and capabilities, which reflects the hospital’s commitment to addressing the complexities of modern diseases and promoting innovation in personalized, preventive, predictive, and participatory care.

The role of the biobank is not limited to promoting clinical research locally, but extends to facilitating the exchange of biological samples and scientific information at the regional and international levels, as it serves as a central platform that supports cooperation between researchers, which contributes to unifying research efforts and avoiding duplication of studies, while enabling institutions to reach To reliable resources for studying rare and complex diseases, such as developing targeted drugs for rare cancers or improving genetic disease prevention strategies in genetically specific populations.

Based on the advanced capabilities of the biobank, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center seeks to strengthen its partnerships with international and regional institutions specialized in the study of rare and infectious diseases, to develop joint research that contributes to enhancing precision medicine practices locally and globally, in line with its vision of being the ideal choice for everyone. A patient in specialized health care.

It is noteworthy that King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center was ranked first in the Middle East and Africa and 20th globally for the second year in a row on the list of the top 250 academic health care institutions around the world, and the most valuable health brand in the Kingdom and the Middle East, according to “Brand Finance.” ) for the year 2024, and was also included in the list of the best smart hospitals in the world for the year 2025 by Newsweek magazine, which reflects the hospital’s commitment to achieving the highest standards of quality. And excellence in providing health care.