Funding for UK Biobank
Funding for the UK Biobank project - a study of genes, environment and health - was announced on 29 April 2002. The Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council and the Department of Health are providing an initial £45 million for the project, an ambitious study of the role of nature and nurture in health and disease.
Using genetic information from DNA samples and the medical records of 500 000 volunteers, aged 45-69 years, the study will capitalise on the knowledge from the Human Genome Project, which made available the genetic book of life. Since many of the world's most devastating disorders, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, are caused by complex interactions between genes, environment and lifestyle, the Biobank study will be a powerful resource to help researchers unravel the origins of - and susceptibility to - these important diseases. It will also enable the general population to make informed choices about healthier lifestyles.
Information from the study will ultimately lead to improved diagnosis, treatment and preventative strategies for the many disorders that may manifest themselves in later life, and whose origins may be influenced by both nature and nurture. It may also lead to more individualised approaches to disease prevention and treatment, with doctors prescribing drugs designed specifically for people's own genetic make-up.
The funding partners will continue consulting with the public, health professionals, scientists, ethical concern groups and industry to develop an ethical framework for the project.
See also
- The UK Biobank study gets funding go-ahead (Press release: 29 April 2002)
- A sample solution: Public attitudes to human sample collection (Features: September 2000)
- A matter of opinion: New methods of public consultation (Features: December 2001)