Overview
- The completed dataset measures nearly 250 metabolites across about half a million UK Biobank participants, forming the world’s largest resource of its kind.
- Nightingale Health generated the measurements over roughly 50,000 lab hours, and the data are now available to approved researchers via the UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform.
- Scientists report that these metabolic profiles capture genetic predisposition and environmental exposures, strengthening risk prediction for dementia, heart disease, cancer and diabetes a decade or more in advance.
- Researchers say the resource could enable simple finger‑prick tests for early risk stratification, building on metabolite‑based tools already used in countries including Singapore.
- A second blood sample from about 20,000 participants adds repeat measures to track changes over time and link metabolic shifts to disease risk and treatment effects.