The Oxford Biobank is a population-based cohort of healthy men and women aged between 30 and 50 living in Oxfordshire. Over 9,000 participants have undergone a detailed examination at a screening visit, donated DNA and given informed consent to be approached again. It is the largest random population-based cohort in the UK dedicated to the conduct of these recall studies.
The Oxford Biobank investigations focus on research into common diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. It is a resource for medical research to translate early discoveries for the benefit of future patients.
A specific feature of the Oxford Biobank is that all participants have given informed consent to be contacted again. This provides a resource we call the Oxford BioResource, which enables research studies that require the recruitment of human participants according to specific criteria.
A very successful aspect of this are research studies designed to recall participants according to genotype or phenotype. We have data for every participant on:
- Demographic and social characteristics
- Anthropometry, including height, weight, waist and hip circumference,
- Body composition measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
- Biomarkers of diabetes and cardiovascular risk, including inflammatory mediators
- Genotype (Affymetrix Axiom Array and Illumina Exome Array)
Access for researchers
All data available through The Oxford Biobank can be used by internal (University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust) and external investigators. The Oxford Biobank steering committee will review all proposals. Once the proposals are accepted, a costing model will be calculated based on level of access and the nature of the work. This helps to ensure the future sustainability of the cohort.
Contact the Oxford Biobank through its portal: oxfordbiobank.org.uk
Volunteering
Would you like to become a participant in the Oxford Biobank and support new advances in medical research? Find out more about other volunteers’ experiences.
Founder: Prof Fredrik Karpe
Scientific Coordinator: Dr Matt Neville
matthew.neville@ocdem.ox.ac.uk
IT manager: John Miller
john.miller@ocdem.ox.ac.uk