‘Game-changing’ study of blood proteins will help fight disease
Getty Images via The Times
‘Treasure trove’ of samples provided by UK volunteers has the potential to transform healthcare by the end of this decade, say scientists
The biggest study yet of proteins in the blood could lead to an “explosion of discoveries in ways to treat and prevent disease”, scientists have said as they launch a massive UK-based research project.
Researchers are set to analyse thousands of proteins in each of 300,000 blood samples given by volunteers to a project known as UK Biobank. In doing so, they hope to understand the role of different proteins in diseases so that we can better diagnose and cure hundreds of conditions.
Dr Chris Whelan, who is leading a group of pharmaceutical companies working on the project, said it represented one of the biggest biotech collaborations in history and “has the potential to transform healthcare by the end of this decade”.
A pilot project involving 50,000 people has already yielded results, he said. “It’s been a treasure trove.” He said they had found “dozens and dozens” of new drug targets — proteins they could suppress or promote to try to tackle illnesses including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.
