Privacy Policy

Thank you for viewing our Privacy Policy. This page covers the privacy policy of our website as well as the collection and handling of sensitive data in our Patient Study.

This Privacy Policy describes the policies of Haapaniemi Lab on the collection, use and disclosure of your information that we collect when you use our website (haapaniemilab.org). While our Lab is physically based in Oslo, Norway, we serve information to everyone across the world.

By accessing or using our website, you are consenting to the collection, use and disclosure of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not consent to the same, please do not access or use our website.

We may modify this Privacy Policy at any time without any prior notice to you and will post the revised Privacy Policy on our website. The revised Policy will be effective 180 days from when the revised Policy is posted on our website and your continued access or use of our website after such time will constitute your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy. We therefore recommend that you periodically review this page.

  • Effective date: 15 Oct 2023
  • Last reviewed/updated: 17 February 2026

What data do we collect?

We collect the following data:

  • Personal identification information: name, email address, and any other information you choose to submit to us via our contact form
  • Cookies (when you use our site in general and have cookies enabled)

How do we collect your data?

You directly provide us with most of the data we collect. We collect data and process data when you:

  • Use or view our website via your browser’s cookies
  • Contact us via our contact form

How will we use and store your data?

We securely store your data in our online database, which is hosted on the secure Hostinger cloud servers, and in emails containing data received from any forms you’ve submitted to us via our Contact page.

We will use the information that we collect about you for the following purposes:

  • Discussing job an collaboration opportunities with our Lab
  • General information queries
  • Support (if you have contacted us via our contact form to let us know you need support with any aspect of using our website)
  • Website analytics (finding out how the website is performing in order to make improvements accordingly)

Transfer and retention of your information

We will not transfer your personal information to any third party without seeking your consent, except in limited circumstances when it comes to Analytics.

We require such third parties to use the personal information we transfer to them only for the purpose for which it was transferred and not to retain it for longer than is required for fulfilling the said purpose.

We may also disclose your personal information for the following reasons: (1) to comply with applicable law, regulation, court order or other legal process; (2) to enforce your agreements with us, including this Privacy Policy; or (3) to respond to claims that your use of the Service violates any third-party rights. If the Service or our organisation is merged with or acquired by another company or organisation, your information will be one of the assets that is transferred to the new owner.

What are your data protection rights?

We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user of our website is entitled to the following:

The right to access – You have the right to request Haapaniemi Lab for copies of your personal data.

The right to rectification – You have the right to request that Haapaniemi Lab correct any information you believe is inaccurate regarding your own data. You also have the right to request Haapaniemi Lab to complete the information you believe is incomplete.

The right to erasure – You have the right to request that Haapaniemi Lab erase your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that Haapaniemi Lab restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to how we process your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to data portability – You have the right to request that Haapaniemi Lab transfer the data that we have collected to another organisation, or directly to you, under certain conditions.

If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us via our Contact form.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your computer to collect standard Internet log information and visitor behaviour information. When you visit our website, we may collect information from you automatically through cookies or similar technology.

For further information about cookies, visit allaboutcookies.org.

To learn more about how we use cookies and your choices in relation to these tracking technologies, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

Privacy Policies of other websites

Our Service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by us. This Privacy Policy does not address the privacy policy and other practices of any third parties, including any third party operating any website or service that may be accessible via a link on the Service.

We strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

Security

The security of your information is important to us and we will use reasonable security measures to prevent the loss, misuse or unauthorised alteration of your information under our control.

However, given the inherent risks, we cannot guarantee absolute security and consequently, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us and you do so at your own risk.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

We keep our Privacy Policy under regular review and place any updates on this web page. You can find the last-updated date at the top of this policy.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, the data we hold on you, or you would like to exercise one of your data protection rights, please do not hesitate to contact us via our Contact form.

How to contact the appropriate authority

Should you wish to report a complaint or if you feel that Haapaniemi Lab has not addressed your concern in a satisfactory manner, you may contact the Norwegian Data Protection Authority.

Patient study: collection and handling of sensitive data

As part of our patient study on inborn errors of immunity, we collect and process sensitive personal data and biological samples from participants. The purpose of this study is to better understand why certain gene defects cause serious conditions and to explore potential therapies and gene correction strategies.

What we collect

  • Health and genetic information provided during the study, with consent.
  • Biological samples (mainly blood and skin, but may include bone marrow, stool or mucosal swabs) stored in the Rare Immune Disease research biobank at the Norwegian Centre for Molecular Biosciences and Medicine (NCMBM), University of Oslo.
  • Research data generated from laboratory analyses of these samples.

How data is handled

  • All data is coded (pseudonymised). Your name, personal ID number, or directly identifying details are not used in analyses. Only the project’s responsible doctors and researchers can access the code list linking data to your identity.
  • Data and samples are stored securely until December 31, 2030, and will be retained until 2035, in line with ethical and legal requirements. After that, they will either be destroyed or, if renewed consent is obtained, retained for future research.
  • If you withdraw consent, you may request that your samples and health data be deleted, unless they have already been analysed or included in scientific publications.

Sharing and transfers

  • With your consent, coded data and biological material may be shared with approved collaborators abroad for research purposes. Collaborating institutions are required to follow EU/Nordic data protection guidelines.
  • Access to data is managed through secure platforms such as UiO’s TSD service or the EGA archive, ensuring controlled access for external researchers.

Genetic testing

  • Genetic counselling is provided by your attending clinician.
  • Incidental findings may be re-analysed if relevant to your care, and further consent may be requested if needed.
  • Although data is pseudonymised, whole-genome sequencing data cannot be guaranteed to be completely anonymous.

Your rights

  • Participation in the study is voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time without affecting your treatment.
  • You have the right to access your recorded health data, request corrections to errors, and receive information on security measures taken during processing.

Contacts

For questions about the study or consent, please contact Dr Emma Haapaniemi via our Contact page.

For questions about data protection, you may contact the UiO Data Protection Officer (personvernombud) at [email protected], or Sikt Data Protection Services at [email protected] / +47 53 21 15 00.

For more information about the study, please visit our research study page.

Forskningsstudie: innsamling og behandling av sensitive data

Som en del av vår pasientstudie om medfødte feil i immunforsvaret samler vi inn og behandler sensitive personopplysninger og biologiske prøver fra deltakerne. Formålet med studien er å få bedre forståelse for hvorfor enkelte genfeil fører til alvorlige sykdommer, og å utforske mulige behandlingsformer og strategier for genkorrigering.

Hva vi samler inn

  • Helse- og genetisk informasjon gitt under studien, med samtykke.
  • Biologiske prøver (hovedsakelig blod og hud, men kan også inkludere benmarg, avføringsprøver eller slimhinneprøver) lagret i forskningsbiobanken Rare Immune Disease ved Norsk senter for molekylær biovitenskap og medisin (NCMBM), Universitetet i Oslo.
  • Forskningsdata som genereres fra laboratorieanalyser av disse prøvene.

Hvordan data håndteres

  • All data kodes (pseudonymiseres). Navn, fødselsnummer eller andre direkte identifiserende opplysninger brukes ikke i analyser. Bare prosjektets ansvarlige leger og forskere har tilgang til koblingsnøkkelen som forbinder din identitet med dine data.
  • Data og prøver oppbevares sikkert til 31. desember 2030 og beholdes frem til 2035 i tråd med etiske og juridiske krav. Deretter blir de enten slettet eller, dersom fornyet samtykke innhentes, brukt videre til ny forskning.
  • Dersom du trekker samtykket ditt, kan du be om at prøver og helseopplysninger slettes, med mindre de allerede er analysert eller inkludert i vitenskapelige publikasjoner.

Deling og overføring

  • Med ditt samtykke kan kodede data og biologisk materiale deles med godkjente samarbeidspartnere i utlandet for forskningsformål. Samarbeidende institusjoner må følge EUs og de nordiske landenes retningslinjer for databeskyttelse.
  • Tilgang til data håndteres gjennom sikre plattformer som UiOs TSD-tjeneste eller EGA-arkivet, som sikrer kontrollert tilgang for eksterne forskere.

Genetisk testing

  • Genetisk veiledning gis av din behandlende lege.
  • Tilfeldige funn kan reanalyseres dersom de er relevante for behandlingen din, og ytterligere samtykke kan bli innhentet ved behov.
  • Selv om data pseudonymiseres, kan helgenomsekvenseringsdata i teorien ikke betraktes som fullstendig anonyme.

Dine rettigheter

  • Deltakelse i studien er frivillig, og du kan når som helst trekke deg uten at det påvirker behandlingen din.
  • Du har rett til innsyn i registrerte helseopplysninger, til å be om retting av feil, og til å få informasjon om sikkerhetstiltak som er tatt ved behandling av data.

Kontakt

For spørsmål om studien eller samtykke, vennligst kontakt Dr. Emma Haapaniemi via vår kontaktside.

For spørsmål om personvern kan du kontakte personvernombudet ved Universitetet i Oslo på [email protected], eller Sikt personverntjenester på [email protected]
/ +47 53 21 15 00.

For mer informasjon om studien, se vår forskningsside.