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UK Biobank launches nationwide
 
This September thousands of invitations went out across the UK to men and women aged between 40 and 69 inviting them to take part in UK Biobank - a multi-million pound UK project to outline the role that genes and environment play in some of the most widespread diseases of our time, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The project aims to recruit 500,000 participants as it rolls out across Britain over the next four years.
 
Professor Sally Davis, director of research at the UK Department of Health, says that the project relies on people’s good will to succeed. ‘Though it may not directly benefit those who take part, UK Biobank will help us understand how our children and our children’s children can lead longer, healthier lives. Helping others will, I hope, be a powerful enough motivation for many people taking part’, she told the Guardian.
 
During a 90 minute visit to an assessment centre, volunteers will be asked to answer questions in relation to their health and lifestyle and provide measurements such as blood pressure, weight, lung function and bone density as well as blood and urine samples. With consent, UK Biobank scientists will continue to monitor their health through medical records for the rest of their lives.
 
‘UK Biobank is a project of which the whole of Britain can be proud’, said Professor Rory Collins, head of UK Biobank, reporting that British and international scientists have expressed interest in how the project can help them in their research.
 
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