UK Biobank study results will help researchers working on predictive medicine
The UK Biobank has completed the world’s largest metabolomic study.
In the study, levels of nearly 250 different proteins, sugars, fats and other compounds in blood collected from half a million volunteers were analysed by the UK Biobank. Scientists now hope that the new data will drive progress on predicting many different types of diseases, including dementia, potentially through pinprick tests years before symptoms appear.
Dr Julian Mutz at King’s College London, who uses metabolic profiles to predict dementia risk, says:
“These metabolic profiles capture all of the genetic predisposition and the downstream consequences of that, as well as the environmental exposures, so it gives us a snapshot of a person’s physiological state. It’s also highly dynamic, whereas genetics, for example, is fixed.”
Find out more from the UK Biobank here: https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/news/worlds-largest-metabolomic-study-completed-paving-way-for-predictive-medicine/