Abstract

With its unique combination of scale, depth, maturity and accessibility, UK Biobank is enabling researchers worldwide to perform innovative health-related research. This talk will provide key information about this landmark study, highlight recent and future enhancements to the resource, and new ways in which it is democratising access via the new cloud-based Research Analysis Platform. The value of the resource will be illustrated by several examples, with particular reference to recent work using metabolomics data to better understanding the associations of lipids, lipoproteins and other factors with risk of coronary heart disease.

UK Biobank is a prospective cohort study of 500,000 people that has integrated large-scale genomic data (in all participants) and deep phenotyping data (including lifestyle factors, physical measures and multi-modal imaging) with long-term follow-up of health outcomes through linkage to electronic health records. The recent addition of detailed genomic sequencing data plus large-scale metabolomic and proteomic data has created an even more powerful resource, which will enable a better understanding of disease biology and will support innovative drug development for more effective therapies. Ready access to this combination of in-depth genomic, imaging, and other health information from 500,000 UK Biobank participants is enabling researchers worldwide to advance discovery science and improve human health.