World's Largest Medical Experiment

eldavojohn writes "Recently in the UK, a Biobank project has been rolled out to 'unpick' the genetic basis of diseases such as cancer on half a million volunteers. This is based on the success of a three-month pilot phase conducted on 3,800 participants. From the article: 'Over the next four years, blood and urine samples will be collected from volunteers aged 40 to 69, to help scientists unravel the genetic foundations of common diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia and joint problems. If you live in the UK, agreeing to this survey may involve a little more than you would expect."

Comments

DeCODE

[tom8658]

Theres a project like this in Iceland called DeCODE. They've been given a lot of power over the data collected, enough to make some people wary. It's a fair assumption that this project will face similar problems, although the measures governing DeCODE seem to protect the company much more than the individual. It will be interesting to see how Biobank handles this.

The actual relevant website URL

[wherrera]

Here's the link: Biobank (UK) http://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/

Re:But..

[2nd Post!]

What are you smoking? Over population hasn't been a problem for years now. The new bogeyman is overconsumption; aka, SUVs, $3 gas, plastic+paper packaging, disposable diapers, etc.

Don't believe me? Look at the CIA factbook for Japan, US, and China:
Japan's birthrate is lower than it's deathrate. It's fertility rate is only 1.4.
China's birthrate is higher than it's deathrate for now, but it has a below 2.1 fertility rate. That means they too will have a smaller population in the future.
The US also has a below 2.1 fertility rate (at 2.09), so it too will be seeing population decline were it not for immigrants.
See Overpopulation.com for more about the fertility rate and population growth.

Re:Huh?

[voice_of_all_reason]

The UK government has made no small secret that it thinks having the DNA of every person on file to run through each time they stop your car/arrest you to fish for other crimes would be a jolly swell idea.

Re:Only a problem

[ConsumerOfMany]

I don't know how it is in Europe, but for us (NY metro research facility) to even gather blood samples for randomized testing (say to establish a reference range for cholesterol) the amount of paperwork we go through for each donor is quite extensive. There is about a 10 page disclosure that we go through page by page, have them initial each point about what we are going to do with the sample, what there rights are about the storage of the sample, how long we keep it, who will see the data etc. After they sign it, we encourage a witness to be with them for signing we then sign and date in presence of a witness. They receive a copy in person, and mailed to the address they provide. All this for just a random blood sample, run totally unidentified. This all happens before we can take a sample. If they don't go through and sign, we don't take a sample.

Mind you, many people that respond to the ads for medical research studies aren't the most educated folks, or even care about what we do with the sample as long as they get the 15 bucks, But we try our best to inform them

Re:Largest experiment ...

[Apocalypse111]

Ah, the "frankenfood" arguement. The idea that genetic manipulation of foodcrops can create foods that will turn us all into gibbering zombies.

Apparantly, the parent poster doesn't realize that we've been doing this since time immemorial, through a process called "selective breeding". Different DNA in the corn doesn't make a difference once its in your system, all of it will still be broken down for individual sugars and proteins, etc. The DNA won't suddenly become hostile and start mutating you. Its still just corn. Genetically modified? Certainly. Just like any corn you could buy from anywhere, but this modification was done in a lab instead of through several generations of selective breeding. Also, its great with butter and salt!