UK Biobank celebrates 10 years of pioneering health research

UK Biobank, a large scale medical research programme, is an extraordinary undertaking with the ultimate aim of improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of host of serious conditions. This includes tackling key challenges in disease areas such as dementia, arthritis, cancer, heart disease and diabetes. This year, the programme is celebrating 10 years since its launch in 2006. Since its beginning over half a million volunteers, aptly named ‘Biobankers’, from across the UK have agreed to have their health analysed using a wide range of methods

Biobankers, who upon recruitment were all between the ages of 40-69, initially took part in a range of baseline tests including blood pressure, heart rate, height and weight assessment. The volunteers also provided valuable lifestyle information and agreed to be monitored across the duration of their lives. This includes observing health records to monitor any disease development and for many Biobankers, taking part in further tests such as MRI scans.

Shaping medical research across the world  

UK Biobank is a unique medical research programme as the data produced is not used by the organisation directly, but used to build data sets for other researchers across the world. The data resource is available to all bona fide researchers for a variety of health-related research that is in the public interest, without any preferential or exclusive access. As it stands, the resource has been utilised across the world to inform a range of different research. As of its 10-year anniversary UK Biobank has had:

• 257 research applications approved and data released
• 107 peer reviewed papers published using the data
• 92 presentations based on data presented at scientific meetings
• In the past year, 49% of requests from outside the UK

Utilising imaging technology to gather data

Part of the data acquisition includes an imaging project, which began in 2014 and will take a total of seven years to complete, making it the largest medical imaging study in the world. The project currently scans 18 people per day, seven days a week only pausing for essential holidays and system maintenance. An imaging centre based in Stockport undertakes the work with the ultimate aim of having a full set of images for 100,000 participants, this will be aided by in a further two centres opening in Reading and Newcastle during 2017.

The imaging project utilises the most advanced technology to ensure unprecedented detail within the images, this includes the use of two MRI systems from Siemens Healthineers which are used for neurology, cardiac and abdomen scanning. Various other imaging techniques are used to capture other parts of the body.

The imaging data is integrated with detailed non-imaging data, allowing researchers to make associations with common and non-common disease areas, for example assessing if brain volume is linked with specific brain diseases such as dementia. These images are taken before disease, so in time as disease develops researchers can revisit the images to establish if there are indicators to inform early diagnosis.

Achieving long term research goals  

As Biobankers are tracked throughout their lives, regular follow up is essential to support the long-term project. A range of follow up methods are utilised which are comprehensive, scalable and cost effective. All Biobankers are registered with a GP which ensures linkage to health related records using national data sets. In the long term this will shape a powerful resource to help scientists discover why some people develop particular diseases and others do not. This means for a long time to come the research will continue to be valuable, with the potential of results leading to ground breaking discoveries. As the data continues to grow, inform and strengthen research, we can be confident that the best of UK Biobank is yet to come.