The NIHR has awarded £49.2 million to Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to continue hosting the NIHR BioResource for four years from 1 April 2025.
Since 2012 the NIHR BioResource has collected and maintained a resource of data and samples donated by 290,000 individuals from the general population and patients with rare and common diseases, who wish to participate in medical research. These volunteers can be selected and asked to take part in research studies investigating the links between genes and disease.
Through the collection of clinical data and samples, the NIHR BioResource supports industry and researchers undertaking studies which have the potential to rapidly advance the understanding of disease mechanisms, identify potential drug targets and improve insight into emerging therapies.
The NIHR BioResource supports large-scale projects in common disease research such as inflammatory bowel disease, immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, mental health and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. They also work on rare diseases to identify their genetic causes, improve diagnosis and support work to develop treatments.
The NIHR BioResource national coordinating centre is located in Cambridge and is hosted by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Cambridge. NIHR's Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs) and Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) will continue to support recruitment into the Improving Black Health Outcomes (IBHO) and DNA, Children + Young People’s Health Resource (D-CYPHR) cohorts.
The NIHR BioResource has been part of several key health advancements in the UK since it was established. These include:
- The NIHR BioResource transformed the NHS’s approach to diagnosing rare diseases by contributing to the 100,000 Genomes Project and demonstrating whole genome sequencing speeds up and improves diagnosis.
- The NIHR BioResource supported the development of the NHS blood group genotyping test. Now nearly 18,000 people in England, with sickle cell disorder and thalassaemia, can have a world-first genetic test to better match future blood transfusions, reducing their risk of side effects.
- The Genes and Cognition BioResource is testing the cognition of 21,500 healthy and patient volunteers over time for further insight into brain health and potential future therapies.
- The DNA Children and Young People’s Health Resource (D-CYPHR) is the world’s first genetics health research programme open to every child in the country using online recruitment.
- The Inflammatory Bowel Disease BioResource established a patient and public review group which developed an award-winning national approach to how health data are accessed for research.
Professor Marian Knight, Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure, said: “Since 2012 the NIHR BioResource has been a key component of the UK’s genomic research infrastructure with its focus on consenting and recalling patients within specific disease cohorts and within the healthy general population. Our £49.2 million investment will help keep the UK at the forefront of genomic research; bringing investment into the UK's life sciences sector and ultimately innovative treatments to patients.”