Body Composition Data of 6,000 UK Biobank Participants Available to Researchers

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RESEARCHERS have the opportunity to obtain unlimited access to body composition analysis data of 6,000 patients on the UK Biobank website. This news follows the announcement from AMRA that they have completed precise fat and muscle measurements of the first 6,000 of 100,000 UK Biobank body MRI’s they are scheduled to analyse.

Initial Findings
These data should provide scientists with very useful information for research relating to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of a number of conditions, such as diabetes and dementia. AMRA’s analysis of these first 6,000 scans has already led to new data showing a link between body composition and coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and sarcopenia, in addition to a higher healthcare burden associated with visceral obesity. This information has resulted in several abstract presentations by the company.

World’s Largest Health Imaging Study
UK Biobank has collected health information from their 500,000 participants over a period of 10 years, including genetic data. In 2016, they began dedicated imaging of the brain, heart, bones, carotid arteries, and body composition of 100,000 participants, which will be the world’s largest health imaging study; AMRA were selected to undertake the body composition analysis. The information, which will be released in stages, can be applied for via the UK Biobank website.

Tommy Johansson, Chief Executive Officer, AMRA, commented: “I’m very proud that AMRA was chosen to work with UK Biobank on a project of such scale and value to the scientific community. As the largest imaging study of its kind and one of the most comprehensive, I’m looking forward to watching and learning how this initial dataset, and the many more scheduled to follow, will be used to help support clinical trials, improve treatments, and ultimately prevent disease. Six-thousand MRI scans analysed and available for researchers, with only 94,000 to go!”

UK Biobank announced that they are on schedule to scan the final 100,000^th participant by 2024; following this, the database will be one of the most powerful resources for medical research in the world.

James Coker, Reporter