Cures for disease may be step closer thanks to release of largest ever whole genome sequencing data

The UK Biobank has been tracking the medical outcomes of people since 2006. Inside this giant freezing unit, a robot can access samples provided by half a million people in the UK. The samples include blood and saliva while computers have whole-body scans and medical updates from participants going back almost two decades. The Biobank says tens of thousands of scientists have already benefited from the data stored here, adding to knowledge that can be used to fight disease. This too will be released to researchers aiming to find effective treatments for so far, incurable diseases like dementia, Parkinson’s, and soft tissue cancers. According to UK Biobank, the result comes after a £200 million (GBP) investment. Naomi Allen, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Oxford and the Chief Scientist at the UK Biobank says the information being made available to medical professionals is unprecedented. “We're releasing the most ambitious project ever, which is the single largest tranche of whole genome sequencing data on half a million people. [...] So whole genome sequencing data consists of measuring all of the genetic variation across your entire genome, which has not been done before at this scale,” says Allen. Importantly, the Biobank will be able to offer new insights into how particular diseases can be more prevalent in certain populations, such as Black, Asian, and Hispanic people as well as White people. But the aim of UK Biobank is not just to treat disease and tackle it early but to prevent it too which would be a hugely progressive step for public health. Having information from the whole genome could help anticipate which drugs would work better on a person and which are likely to have severe side effects. According to UK Biobank, the genome bank could also accelerate understanding of illnesses that aren’t properly understood such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and autoimmune diseases. Allen believes the dataset can reveal how our genetics affect proteins, metabolites, and other physiological factors that could contribute to these illnesses. According to Allen, the dataset could also accelerate the application of new medical technologies such as gene editing. This article was provided by The Associated Press.