• If we could afford to apply what we already know – with no more research – worldwide health would be improved and millions of lives saved. That would be good news indeed . It would be of more interest and welcomed by all members. Prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatment are available – at a price - for common serious illnesses like heart disease, most cancers, and infections like malaria, TB, and HIV / AIDS.
• However, tissue and DNA samples linked to a personal medical database and test results should be able to uncover useful information. Drug companies and research workers may discover new drugs from looking at genetic variations in people with a particular disease. Disease patterns in certain groups will be more easily spotted.
• This Biobank is unique in its size, but there are others. Very many universities and hospitals round the world have data. Much published work is “ meta analysis “ of all other studies on a given illness.
• Anonymity is a double – edged sword. There’s no way of informing a participant if the data shows they’re at risk from a specific disease. Conversely, it should stop police or others trying to access information for solving crimes or in the interests of national security. Insurers would also like – but won’t get - information to know if their clients are at increased risk from illness.
• With such a massive project, quality control is not easy – reliability is vital for new drugs and health policies to be effective.
• This is a very expensive project. Information should be free for research workers, but drug companies and others who are looking for profit should have to pay.
• Ideally there will soon be obvious benefits, as more information becomes available about diseases and response to treatment. Some current treatments are crude – chemotherapy for cancer kills many normal cells, and major surgery has risks. The wish for the future is for “ personalised medicine “ with treatment tailored to individuals’ genetic blueprints - far safer and effective than at present. Let’s hope this Biobank is successful. Only time will tell – up to 30 years is planned – but it’s been greeted enthusiastically by the medical establishment.