What is UK Biobank?
Get in contact
If you are a journalist and would like to be added to our press list, request our press pack, or simply to find out more, please email or call a member of the press office:
- Naomi Clarke, Head of Press
07903 158979 - Grace Tyrrell, Press Officer
07484 075217
UK Biobank is the world’s most comprehensive source of health data available for research that is in the public health interest. Over the past 15 years we have collected biological, health and lifestyle information from 500,000 UK volunteers, and this data continues to grow.
UK Biobank is a world leader in the data we make available to approved researchers. These data include the world’s largest set of whole genome sequencing data, the largest medical imaging project and the largest set of protein biomarkers.
Scientists from universities, charities, companies and governments across the world can apply to use the data to advance modern medicine, enable better understanding of the causes of disease and drive the discovery of new preventions, treatments and cures. The data has personal details removed and is stored on our secure cloud-based platform.
UK Biobank is the world’s most comprehensive dataset of biological, health and lifestyle information. Learn more about who we are.
Since UK Biobank began in 2003, our database has been enhanced by multiple amazing scientific projects. Take a look at some of our highlights.
UK Biobank in the news
The world’s largest imaging project
- Biggest human imaging study scans 100,000th person, BBC News
- Full-body scans of 100,000 people could change way diseases are detected and treated, The Guardian
- Tom Clarke accesses UK Biobank’s record-breaking imaging project and speaks with 100,000th volunteer, Sky News
- Husband and wife offer up bodies to complete [UK] Biobank scan project, The Times
- What scientists learned scanning the bodies of 100,000 Brits, Bloomberg
- The world’s largest medical imaging project hits target, Channel 4 News
- Today Programme, BBC Radio 4
- A freezer full of hope for humanity (pdf) – The Times
- Exclusive: Inside world’s biggest mega lab going to war on disease filled with 500,000 human samples – The Mirror
- Treatments for diseases like diabetes could be ‘unlocked’ after release of genome sequencing data – ITV
- UK Biobank’s repeat imaging study launch – BBC Breakfast
UK Biobank press releases
UK Biobank has released the final set of data on nearly 250 metabolites – the molecules in our blood produced by our bodies as we go about our lives – in half a million volunteers.
In a remarkable achievement that is already impacting how we detect and diagnose disease, UK Biobank has completed the world’s largest whole body imaging project, scanning the brains, hearts, abdomens, blood vessels, bones and joints of 100,000 volunteers.
This unparalleled project aspires to measure up to 5,400 proteins in each of 600,000 samples including those taken from half a million UK Biobank participants.
Studies such as UK Biobank will be able to apply to make the de-identified data of their participants available to researchers.