UK Biobank has re-opened its imaging centre in Bristol and resumed its multi-organ scanning project, following a lease to the NHS in Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire.

Local Bristol participants will now be invited to attend the centre as part of the world’s largest whole body imaging project.

In January 2021, UK Biobank leased its Bristol imaging centre to the NHS during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the following year, the UK Biobank imaging centre provided up to 150 MRI scans per week for University Hospitals Bristol, Weston NHS Foundation Trust, and North Bristol NHS Trust.

Dr Peter Brindle, Medical Director for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said:

"During the COVID-19, the NHS in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire had the unique opportunity to collaborate with UK Biobank and have access to the Bristol imaging centre. This increased our capacity and enabled the delivery of 11,827 MRI scans for NHS patients over the last 18 months. I’d like to thank everyone involved in this work, including our dedicated NHS staff, who continue to go above and beyond for local people during a challenging time."

The £43m study has been funded by the Medical Research Council, Wellcome, and the British Heart Foundation and involves imaging the brains, hearts, bones, and abdomens of 100,000 participants from the 500,000-strong UK Biobank cohort. These scans are then analysed in conjunction with the vast data already collected from volunteers, transforming the way scientists study life-threatening illnesses.