The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7415 p242
26 August 2006

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

UK Biobank prepares to recruit 500,000 volunteers

UK Biobank, a project that aims to collect genetic and lifestyle information from 500,000 volunteers for use in research, announced this week that it has been given the go ahead to roll out its programme across the UK. The announcement follows a three-month pilot conducted in Manchester in which data from 3,800 participants were collected.

Later this year, letters will start to be sent to men and women aged between 40 and 69 years, inviting them to attend an assessment centre. After consent has been obtained, each participant will be asked to donate a blood and urine sample and to complete a lifestyle questionnaire. The goal is to recruit half a million people over the next four years.