World's largest proteomics trial launched by UK Biobank

A major population proteomics study using UK Biobank patient samples backed by 14 pharma companies has launched today with the promise of delivering a "transformation" in the study of diseases and their treatments.

The Pharma Proteomics Project will measure up to 5,400 proteins in each of 600,000 patient samples, creating a dataset that will help gauge how levels of individual proteins change over our lifetimes and during illness.

The sample set comes from the 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers who have provided samples since the organisation was set up more than 20 years ago, along with 100,000 second samples taken from some of these patients up to 15 years later.

It follows a pilot study published in 2023 that drew on data from around 3,000 proteins across 54,000 UK Biobank volunteers, which has already identified more than 14,000 links between common genetic variants and altered protein levels, most of which were previously unknown and which have already led to discoveries in disease prediction and the development of potential therapies for cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and cancer.

The full-scale project takes that pilot to a much higher level and should yield actionable results within the next five years, according to Professor Sir Rory Collins, who has led UK Biobank since it was set up in 2002.

The study will kick off by testing 300,000 samples – 250,000 first and 50,000 second samples - at the Regeneron Genetics Center in the US, with funding for that stage of the project provided by the first pharma company backers: Alden Scientific, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Calico Life Sciences, Roche, GSK, Isomorphic Labs, Johnson & Johnson, MSD, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Takeda.

The data will be made available to scientists worldwide, providing they have a suitable research project for its use, although, the pharma companies sponsoring the project will get a short period of exclusive access. It will take about a year to measure the protein levels in 300,000 participant samples.

"That this is being funded by a wide consortium of companies highlights the importance of pre-competitive research to increase knowledge for everyone who is trying to be innovative to improve health," said Collins, who is hoping that additional companies will come forward to support the project.

The study will examine proteomic and genetic data simultaneously, coming after UK Biobank published the whole genome sequencing of its half a million participants in November 2023. That will be combined with imaging data, as almost 100,000 volunteers have undergone MRI scanning since joining the project, along with anonymised data on their health and lifestyle.

"Adding proteomic data for the full UK Biobank cohort will be an absolute game changer for prediction of disease onset and prognosis, particularly for the many neglected diseases for which good prospective data [is] lacking," commented Dr Chris Whelan of J&J, who is acting as the Pharma Proteomics Project lead.

Along with potential personalised treatments, the work could lead to the discovery of artificial intelligence algorithms that can be used to predict disease years earlier than is possible now.