UK government launches world-leading preventative research programme

  • Our Future Health is seeking five million volunteers, making it one of the biggest studies of its type ever globally
  • The study will identify ways to detect diseases such as cancer and strokes with a view to preventing them
  • The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is looking for recruits to take part in its largest-ever research programme.

 
The UK’s National Health Service is looking for recruits to take part in its largest-ever research programme.

The study, called Our Future Health, will seek to establish ways of tackling the growing burden of diseases – such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s – to help to discover ways to detect them at an earlier stage and prevent them from occurring through wellness interventions.

People taking part are asked to provide regular insights into their health and lifestyle, as well as a blood sample at a local clinic. The programme is enrolling five million volunteers living in the UK – making it one of the biggest research studies ever undertaken into population health.

Over 1 million people have already signed up.

Our Future Health will build a resource that fully reflects the UK population, identifying how diseases begin and progress in people from different backgrounds.

Research currently suggests that 54 per cent of people aged 65 or older live with two or more serious health conditions and by 2035, that figure is projected to rise to 68 per cent.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to understand more about their current health status, opt-in to link their research and general medical records and understand more about reducing the risk of developing life-changing conditions.

You can sign up here to get involved.