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Approaches to understanding what causes life changing disease, and the impact they have on people in the United Kingdom

Safe People

Organisation name

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Organisation sector

Commercial

Applicant name(s)

Mark Yates

Funders/ Sponsors

Safe Projects

Project ID

OFHS240173

Lay summary

This study aims to explore how the Our Future Health dataset can be best used to: 1) Find out what predicts life changing illnesses such as diabetes, dementia, and cancer 2) Understand the impact of these life changing diseases on people, health services, and broader society. Life-changing illnesses like diabetes, dementia, and cancer have a big impact. As the population gets older, the cost for the NHS to treat these conditions is increasing. We know that some people are more likely than others to develop certain diseases. Finding out what decreases or increases the chance of having one of these diseases is crucial. If we know which people are at higher risk, medical teams may be able to delay a disease from developing or prevent it. This study aims to explore how the Our Future Health dataset can be used to out what increases or decreases the risk of life-changing illnesses, and to understand the burden these diseases place on people, the NHS, and society. The study will explore different approaches to finding out what increases or decreases the risk of life changing diseases using the information in Our Future Health. The study may also find areas where more information could improve the Our Future Health dataset. We will also explore how impacts of life-changing diseases can be measured, which will include areas like mental health, and the cost to the NHS. The findings will guide future research efforts to reduce the impact of life-changing disease.

Public benefit statement

The Our Future Health collection, with information on participants’ medical history, lifestyle, health records, and genetics is a one of a kind new resource for investigating what increases or decreases the chance of developing a life changing disease, and the impact of that disease on people and society. This early study will ensure that future research is designed to find these factors, and also to understand the burden of disease, increasing the awareness of people who at a high risk, and where care could be improved. This will benefit people with life changing diseases, and broader society.

Request category type

Public Health Research

Other approval committees

Project start date

30/10/2025

Latest approval date

29/05/2025

Safe Data

Dataset(s) name

Safe Setting

Access type

TRE

Safe Outputs

Link to research outputs