The world’s largest medical experiment will be launched this week in Cheshire, Altrincham, England, as hundreds of volunteers will donate blood and DNA for a new genetic database, the Biobank.
Three thousand men and women aged 40 to 69 will participate in the trials, forming a pioneering group of approximately 500,000 participants in this £60 million (nearly $104 million) project. The volunteers will not only provide DNA to the Biobank but also share details about their medical history, answer questions regarding their smoking, drinking, diet, and exercise habits, and undergo blood pressure and weight measurements.
Participants will be monitored for life, and valuable information, even after their death, will be stored on computers at the University of Manchester. This database will be used to explore the genetic and environmental causes of various common diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and brain disorders.
In turn, this data will pave the way for the development of new medications and therapies. As Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Sydney Brenner stated: “The genetic bank is the future of medical research.”
K.NHẬT
