Latest news with #NaomiAllen
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Mass health scan of 100,000 people in the UK could redefine disease diagnosis, scientists say
Scientists around the globe will gain fresh insights into the human body after UK Biobank completed the world's largest full-body imaging study. The biomedical research project scanned 100,000 British volunteers from head to toe, producing more than one billion images of brains, hearts, bones, blood vessels, and more – which are now available to approved researchers worldwide. 'Our work really enables researchers to look inside our bodies and to see how our organs change as we get older and as we develop disease in incredible detail and on a massive scale, which just is not possible with other studies,' Naomi Allen, UK Biobank's chief scientist, told Euronews Health. "It's at least three times bigger than the next largest imaging study for research, and it's certainly the most accessible for researchers worldwide to use the data,' she added. Related Celebrities are turning to MRI scans to help predict future illnesses. Should the rest of us? Helping spot early-signs of illness before it strikes The project, which began scanning participants 11 years ago, now provides detailed scans of the body and links each image with genetic, lifestyle, health, and physical data. This information has already helped researchers detect early signs of heart disease, psychiatric conditions, and even challenge long-held assumptions about alcohol consumption. One analysis found that drinking just one to two units of alcohol per day was associated with reductions in brain volume and changes to its structure – potentially contributing to memory loss and dementia. 'Many serious diseases like heart disease, cancer, dementia, Parkinson's disease, begin quietly and take years for symptoms to develop,' Allen said. 'These imaging scans can identify early warning signs". "For example, the amount of fat around our heart is a really good indicator of whether someone might go on to develop heart failure. You can use that as a biomarker and treat them before it's too late," she added. Founded two decades ago, UK Biobank now follows the health of about 500,000 British participants. In addition to the imaging project, it also collects data on people's genes, environments, health records, and more. With the full imaging set now complete, more than 22,000 researchers worldwide have access to the data in order to do "health research that's in the public good," Allen said.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Health
- Euronews
UK scans 100,000 people in study that could change disease diagnosis
Scientists around the globe will gain fresh insights into the human body after UK Biobank completed the world's largest full-body imaging study. The biomedical research project scanned 100,000 British volunteers from head to toe, producing more than one billion images of brains, hearts, bones, blood vessels, and more – which are now available to approved researchers worldwide. 'Our work really enables researchers to look inside our bodies and to see how our organs change as we get older and as we develop disease in incredible detail and on a massive scale, which just is not possible with other studies,' Naomi Allen, UK Biobank's chief scientist, told Euronews Health. "It's at least three times bigger than the next largest imaging study for research, and it's certainly the most accessible for researchers worldwide to use the data,' she added. Helping spot early-signs of illness before it strikes The project, which began scanning participants 11 years ago, now provides detailed scans of the body and links each image with genetic, lifestyle, health, and physical data. This information has already helped researchers detect early signs of heart disease, psychiatric conditions, and even challenge long-held assumptions about alcohol consumption. One analysis found that drinking just one to two units of alcohol per day was associated with reductions in brain volume and changes to its structure – potentially contributing to memory loss and dementia. 'Many serious diseases like heart disease, cancer, dementia, Parkinson's disease, begin quietly and take years for symptoms to develop,' Allen said. 'These imaging scans can identify early warning signs". "For example, the amount of fat around our heart is a really good indicator of whether someone might go on to develop heart failure. You can use that as a biomarker and treat them before it's too late," she added. Founded two decades ago, UK Biobank now follows the health of about 500,000 British participants. In addition to the imaging project, it also collects data on people's genes, environments, health records, and more. With the full imaging set now complete, more than 22,000 researchers worldwide have access to the data in order to do "health research that's in the public good," Allen said.
Saudi Gazette
4 days ago
- Health
- Saudi Gazette
Biggest human imaging study scans 100,000th person
LONDON — Scientists say they can study our bodies as we age in greater detail than ever before, thanks to more than a billion scans of UK volunteers. The world's biggest human imaging project says it has now hit its target of scanning the brains, hearts and other organs of 100,000 people - the culmination of an ambitious 11-year study. "Researchers are already starting to use the imaging data, along with other data we have, to identify disease early and then target treatment at an earlier stage," says Prof Naomi Allen, chief scientist at UK Biobank. The data is made available at low cost to teams around the world to find new ways of preventing common health conditions from heart disease to cancer. The 100,000th volunteer to be scanned was Steve, who recently retired from a job in sales and now helps out at a charity run by his daughter. The BBC watched as he entered a full-body MRI scanner in an industrial park outside Reading, and detailed images of brain cells, blood vessels, bones and joints appeared on the screens."My mum was diagnosed with early-stage dementia a few years ago and has not been well," he says."So with that in mind I want to give more back to research so the next generation can learn from people like me."The giant medical imaging project has been running for 13 hours a day, seven-days-a-week across four sites in are given a five-hour appointment to be scanned using five different types of MRI, X-ray and ultrasound data gathered is anonymized and volunteers like Steve receive no individual feedback unless the radiographers happen to spot a potentially serious health project does not allow personal data, such as a volunteer's surname or the precise area where they live, to be in 2003, UK Biobank is one of the largest collections of biological samples and health data in the total, half a million people – all middle-aged volunteers – have been asked to complete physical tests, answer regular health and lifestyle questions, and provide DNA and other biological blood, urine and saliva are frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at temperatures of -80C (-112F) in huge refrigerators in Stockport, Greater imaging part of the project began in 2014, and involves taking detailed scans of 100,000 of those same of that group will be invited back to repeat the process every few years to see how their bodies and organs change as they grow combining those scans with the other data collected by UK Biobank, scientists can test whether early changes to the make-up of the brain or body then lead to diseases or other health problems in later whole UK Biobank project, which is non-profit making, was set up by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Wellcome Trust charity, along with the Department of Health and the Scottish decades later it is now reaching 30 petabytes, or 30,000 terabytes, of anonymised health data is already available to researchers working for universities, charities, governments and the private in the UK and the rest of the world can apply for access and most are charged between £3,000 and £9,000 to help cover running Thomas, professor of metabolic imaging at the University of Westminster, says it is "completely transforming" how she and other researchers do their jobs."We thought it was a crazy idea, there was absolutely no way anybody could scan this number of people," she says."To analyse these images manually would have taken us thousands of years but now... we can extract all the information automatically, so we can measure everything in the body in a matter of minutes."Researchers are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to process the huge amounts of data generated by the 17,000 peer-reviewed papers have been written using all types of Biobank data since work started in 2003, with dozens more now published every scans and images taken so far have already been used to show that:The early onset of 38 common diseases can be predicted by combining MRI scans with other health data and an artificial intelligence (AI) modelConsumption of just small amounts of alcohol each day can be linked to an increased risk of memory loss and dementiaA detailed MRI scan can replace surgery to diagnose and monitor a common form of liver diseaseChanges to the structure of the heart may lead to an increased risk of psychiatric disorders including depressionUK Biobank is one of the 10 largest stores of personal health data in the world alongside similar initiatives in Germany, China and the United States, although those projects don't all make their data available to scientists globally in the same imaging element of the project is funded by the MRC, the Wellcome Trust and the British Heart backing for repeat scans is paid for by Calico, a subsidiary of Alphabet which also owns Google, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, established by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan. — BBC
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Biggest human imaging study scans 100,000th person
Scientists say they can study our bodies as we age in greater detail than ever before, thanks to more than a billion scans of UK volunteers. The world's biggest human imaging project says it has now hit its target of scanning the brains, hearts and other organs of 100,000 people - the culmination of an ambitious 11-year study. "Researchers are already starting to use the imaging data, along with other data we have, to identify disease early and then target treatment at an earlier stage," says Prof Naomi Allen, chief scientist at UK Biobank. The data is made available at low cost to teams around the world to find new ways of preventing common health conditions from heart disease to cancer. The 100,000th volunteer to be scanned was Steve, who recently retired from a job in sales and now helps out at a charity run by his daughter. The BBC watched as he entered a full-body MRI scanner in an industrial park outside Reading, and detailed images of brain cells, blood vessels, bones and joints appeared on the screens. "My mum was diagnosed with early-stage dementia a few years ago and has not been well," he says. "So with that in mind I want to give more back to research so the next generation can learn from people like me." The giant medical imaging project has been running for 13 hours a day, seven-days-a-week across four sites in England. Participants are given a five-hour appointment to be scanned using five different types of MRI, X-ray and ultrasound machines. The data gathered is anonymised and volunteers like Steve receive no individual feedback unless the radiographers happen to spot a potentially serious health problem. The project does not allow personal data, such as a volunteer's surname or the precise area where they live, to be published. Launched in 2003, UK Biobank is one of the largest collections of biological samples and health data in the world. In total, half a million people – all middle-aged volunteers – have been asked to complete physical tests, answer regular health and lifestyle questions, and provide DNA and other biological samples. Their blood, urine and saliva are frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at temperatures of -80C (-112F) in huge refrigerators in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The imaging part of the project began in 2014, and involves taking detailed scans of 100,000 of those same participants. All of that group will be invited back to repeat the process every few years to see how their bodies and organs change as they grow older. By combining those scans with the other data collected by UK Biobank, scientists can test whether early changes to the make-up of the brain or body then lead to diseases or other health problems in later life. The whole UK Biobank project, which is non-profit making, was set up by the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust charity, along with the Department of Health and the Scottish government. Two decades later it is now reaching maturity. Over 30 petabytes, or 30,000 terabytes, of anonymised health data is already available to researchers working for universities, charities, governments and the private sector. Scientists in the UK and the rest of the world can apply for access and most are charged between £3,000 and £9,000 to help cover running costs. DNA store has 'revolutionary' effect -scientists Genetics data release 'could lead to better treatment' UK biobank opens to researchers Louise Thomas, professor of metabolic imaging at the University of Westminster, says it is "completely transforming" how she and other researchers do their jobs. "We thought it was a crazy idea, there was absolutely no way anybody could scan this number of people," she says. "To analyse these images manually would have taken us thousands of years but now... we can extract all the information automatically, so we can measure everything in the body in a matter of minutes." Researchers are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to process the huge amounts of data generated by the project. Almost 1,700 peer-reviewed papers have been written using all types of Biobank data since work started in 2003, with dozens more now published every week. The scans and images taken so far have already been used to show that: The early onset of 38 common diseases can be predicted by combining MRI scans with other health data and an artificial intelligence (AI) model Consumption of just small amounts of alcohol each day can be linked to an increased risk of memory loss and dementia A detailed MRI scan can replace surgery to diagnose and monitor a common form of liver disease Changes to the structure of the heart may lead to an increased risk of psychiatric disorders including depression UK Biobank is one of the 10 largest stores of personal health data in the world alongside similar initiatives in Germany, China and the United States, although those projects don't all make their data available to scientists globally in the same way. The imaging element of the project is also funded by a number of other organisations including the British Heart Foundation, Calico, a subsidiary of Alphabet which also owns Google, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, established by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Biggest human imaging study scans 100,000th UK volunteer
Scientists say they can study our bodies as we age in greater detail than ever before, thanks to more than a billion scans of UK world's biggest human imaging project says it has now hit its target of scanning the brains, hearts and other organs of 100,000 people - the culmination of an ambitious 11-year study."Researchers are already starting to use the imaging data, along with other data we have, to identify disease early and then target treatment at an earlier stage," says Prof Naomi Allen, chief scientist at UK data is made available at low cost to teams around the world to find new ways of preventing common health conditions from heart disease to cancer. The 100,000th volunteer to be scanned was Steve, who recently retired from a job in sales and now helps out at a charity run by his BBC watched as he entered a full-body MRI scanner in an industrial park outside Reading, and detailed images of brain cells, blood vessels, bones and joints appeared on the screens."My mum was diagnosed with early-stage dementia a few years ago and has not been well," he says."So with that in mind I want to give more back to research so the next generation can learn from people like me." The giant medical imaging project has been running for 13 hours a day, seven-days-a-week across four sites in are given a five-hour appointment to be scanned using five different types of MRI, X-ray and ultrasound data gathered is anonymised and volunteers like Steve receive no individual feedback unless the radiographers happen to spot a potentially serious health project does not allow personal data, such as a volunteer's surname or the precise area where they live, to be published. What is UK Biobank? Launched in 2003, UK Biobank is one of the largest collections of biological samples and health data in the total, half a million people – all middle-aged volunteers – have been asked to complete physical tests, answer regular health and lifestyle questions, and provide DNA and other biological blood, urine and saliva are frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at temperatures of -80C (-112F) in huge refrigerators in Stockport, Greater imaging part of the project began in 2014, and involves taking detailed scans of 100,000 of those same of that group will be invited back to repeat the process every few years to see how their bodies and organs change as they grow combining those scans with the other data collected by UK Biobank, scientists can test whether early changes to the make-up of the brain or body then lead to diseases or other health problems in later life. The whole UK Biobank project, which is non-profit making, was set up by the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust charity, along with the Department of Health and the Scottish decades later it is now reaching 30 petabytes, or 30,000 terabytes, of anonymised health data is already available to researchers working for universities, charities, governments and the private in the UK and the rest of the world can apply for access and most are charged between £3,000 and £9,000 to help cover running costs. Louise Thomas, professor of metabolic imaging at the University of Westminster, says it is "completely transforming" how she and other researchers do their jobs."We thought it was a crazy idea, there was absolutely no way anybody could scan this number of people," she says. "To analyse these images manually would have taken us thousands of years but now... we can extract all the information automatically, so we can measure everything in the body in a matter of minutes." Researchers are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to process the huge amounts of data generated by the 1,700 peer-reviewed papers have been written using all types of Biobank data since work started in 2003, with dozens more now published every week. The scans and images taken so far have already been used to show that:The early onset of 38 common diseases can be predicted by combining MRI scans with other health data and an artificial intelligence (AI) modelConsumption of just small amounts of alcohol each day can be linked to an increased risk of memory loss and dementiaA detailed MRI scan can replace surgery to diagnose and monitor a common form of liver diseaseChanges to the structure of the heart may lead to an increased risk of psychiatric disorders including depressionUK Biobank is one of the 10 largest stores of personal health data in the world alongside similar initiatives in Germany, China and the United States, although those projects don't all make their data available to scientists globally in the same imaging element of the project is also funded by a number of other organisations including the British Heart Foundation, Calico, a subsidiary of Alphabet which also owns Google, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, established by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.
