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In a remarkable achievement that is already impacting how we detect and diagnose disease, UK Biobank has completed the world’s largest whole body imaging project, scanning the brains, hearts, abdomens, blood vessels, bones and joints of 100,000 volunteers. These scans, on this scale, show us what is happening in people’s bodies as they age so we can understand how, why and when we get sick. 

Since 2015, UK Biobank’s imaging data have been released in batches and scientists around the world are using these data to develop better diagnostic tests for life-altering conditions such as heart disease, dementia and cancer. Soon, approved researchers will have access to over one billion de-identified images, from 100,000 volunteers. Used alongside UK Biobank’s existing information on lifestyle, medical history, genetics and blood proteins collected from the same volunteers over the past 15 years, these imaging data allow researchers to see, in ways that were previously impossible, how all aspects of our lives influence our health. 

So far, over 1,300 peer-reviewed scientific papers have been published based on UK Biobank’s imaging data. Results from these are already improving patient care in the NHS and beyond. For example: 

• Cardiac care has been improved in over 90 countries as clinicians use an AI tool, developed using UK Biobank data, to analyze heart scans in less than a second – where it used to take nearly a quarter of an hour – allowing them time to focus on the cases that require most care. 

After 11 years, 100,000 imaging appointments lasting around 5 hours each, and over £60 million investment, UK Biobank has reached this momentous milestone.

The unprecedented scale of this imaging project – more than 10 times bigger than anything that existed before – makes it possible for scientists to see patterns of disease that just couldn’t otherwise be seen. Collecting scans from 100,000 volunteers seemed to be a pipe dream… some experts even asked if we’d included an extra zero by mistake! This massive imaging project is making the invisible visible. What’s more, by combining these images from different parts of the body with all the genetic and lifestyle information from our volunteers, scientists are getting a far better understanding of how our bodies work.”

Sir Rory Collins, Professor, Principal Investigator and Chief Executive, UK Biobank

During each appointment, over 12,000 Magnetic Resonance (MR) images from the brain, heart and abdomen were collected per person, as well as whole body scans that measure bone density and body fat, and an ultrasound of the carotid arteries. Each volunteer also provided the same detailed data as when they first signed up to UK Biobank around 15 years ago, including lifestyle information, physical measures (like height, weight and grip strength), and a blood sample. “I signed up to my imaging appointment because I want to help create a healthier future for all of us to enjoy. That’s why I first volunteered to be part of UK Biobank over 15 years ago – to be of use to scientists who are working hard to help future generations,” said, Alison, a member of UK Biobank’s Participant Advisory Group. 

Imaging data on this scale provides more information on rare diseases and the different stages of common diseases. Scientists can also better compare healthy bodies to ones with multiple conditions, ultimately leading to researchers finding more powerful markers of disease. “UK Biobank’s imaging study has transformed the landscape of biomedical research forever. The sheer volume of data propelled major advances in computerized image analysis. Now researchers can measure the size, shape, and composition of nearly every organ and tissue in the body in seconds, rather than hours per person,” said, Professor Louise Thomas, Professor of Metabolic Imaging at the University of Westminster. 

As well as providing impacts which are benefiting patients right now, these imaging data are driving discovery science, which should lead to new diagnostic tests and treatments. These include: 

• Developing an AI model that creates a personalized version of a healthy heart (based on the individual’s age, sex, weight and height), that could be used to pinpoint the differences between a patient’s real heart and its healthy model and catch potential signs of heart diseases early. 

• Revealing how our organs can be biologically older than our chronological age, so that doctors might be able to look at someone’s body scan and clinical data to see what organs are at risk of developing disease, and find ways to prevent it, ultimately extending lifespan. 

• Uncovering new ways in which the heart and brain are connected. For example, how structural changes to the heart cause an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, including depression. This is crucial for our understanding of brain diseases. 

• Showing how consuming one to two units of alcohol per day is linked to potentially harmful reductions in brain size and brain structure, which is likely to lead to an increased risk of memory loss and dementia. 

• Revealing that people with the same BMI can store fat in very different ways based on their genes – some which raise the risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and others in a protective way. 

• Using DEXA scanning to identify that 1 in 10 middle-aged people, with no other symptoms, have calcification in the abdominal area of the aorta (main blood vessel of the body), a largely under-diagnosed lethal condition.  

Data on this scale are unlocking opportunities to use machine learning to help predict disease years before symptoms start to appear. “The beauty of UK Biobank is the breadth of the data collected from the generous volunteers, and the imaging scans add another layer of exquisite detail. One recent study used the brain imaging data from 20,000 participants, along with activity monitoring and genetic data, to develop an AI tool to predict who may go on to develop Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. I can’t wait to see what imaging data on 100,000 individuals will reveal!” said, Professor Paul Matthews, Chair of the UK Biobank Imaging Working Group. 

This project has also led to a global democratization of access to imaging data, by turning the MR images into data that are useable by researchers outside the imaging field, including those in less wealthy countries. “We’ve had such incredible feedback about how researchers across the world are using findings from the imaging project in areas of science that would not have ever considered using body scanning information before,” said, Professor Naomi Allen, Chief Scientist at UK Biobank. 

UK Biobank’s imaging project was piloted in 2014 with over 7,000 volunteers scanned – a record-breaking number at that time. The main phase started in 2016, welcoming 100,000 of UK Biobank’s 500,000 volunteers to a 5-hour imaging appointment at one of four dedicated imaging centers across the country. The project is continuing to invite UK Biobank’s volunteers to imaging appointments beyond the 100,000 target. 

A second phase of the imaging project was launched in 2022, aiming to perform repeat imaging on 60,000 of these 100,000 scanned participants, at least two years after their first imaging appointment. This project is ongoing and expected to reach completion in 2029. 

UK Biobank data are made available to approved researchers in staggered releases via the secure cloud-based UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform (UKB-RAP). Imaging data from all 100,000 participants are expected to be made available to researchers by the end of 2025.

Researchers at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, working alongside the Aragon Health Research Institute and biotech firm OneChain Immunotherapeutics, have announced a new dual CAR-T cell therapy that successfully targets T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (T-ALL) – a severe form of blood cancer.

A tough target in blood cancer

T-ALL effects both children and adults and is characterised by the uncontrolled proliferation of immature T-lymphocytes – white blood cells that normally help defend the body against infections and cancer. While more than 80 percent of children recover with treatment – adults face a much tougher prognosis, with cure rates around 40 percent and a high risk of relapse following chemotherapy.

Immunotherapy – particularly CAR-T cell therapy – has advanced the treatment of several blood cancers. However, T-ALL remains difficult to treat  because the Tcells used in CAR-T  therapy are the same cells that turn cancerous.  This overlap makes it challenging to target and  eliminate tumour cells without triggering a self-destructive response.

A dual marker discovery

Now, a team led by Dr Pablo Menéndez has identified two proteins – CD1a and CCR9 – that are present in the leukaemic cells of most T-ALL patients – but largely absent in healthy T-cells and other body tissues.

This key finding, published in Journal of Hematology and Oncology, has enabled the development of a dual CAR-T cell therapy that specifically targets these markers.

Broad efficacy and enhanced safety

Laboratory tests of the dual-targeted CAR-T therapy showed real promise. The engineered T-cells were able to destroy cancer cells expressing CD1a, CCR9, or both, increasing the therapy’s effectiveness across diverse T-ALL subtypes.

The ability to target two antigens simultaneously makes this therapy significantly more effective than those focusing on only one. It also increases the potential for treating patients whose cancer cells may differ  in protein expression.

Most importantly, the new therapy demonstrated a strong safety profile in preclinical studies. The dual CAR-T cells avoided attacking healthy T-cells, other bone marrow cells, or themselves – a common problem with earlier attempts.

A step closer to clinical use

This research brings the development of the first effective CAR-T cell therapy for T-ALL closer to clinical trials. By achieving selective targeting and high efficacy – this approach offers adults – who have limited options – the possibility of new treatments in the future.

Isolation, communication difficulties, reduced alertness — hearing impairment or loss is a real challenge in daily life. Over time, it can also become a risk factor for cognitive decline. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) analyzed data from 33,000 older adults across Europe to examine the combined impact of hearing loss and loneliness on memory. They identified three distinct profiles based on the degree of social isolation and perceived loneliness. The findings show that hearing loss accelerates cognitive decline particularly among individuals who feel lonely, regardless of whether they are socially isolated. These results, published in Communication Psychology, support the case for early and preventive hearing care.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 2.5 billion people will experience hearing loss or impairment by 2050. More than 25% of people over the age of 60 experience disabling hearing impairment. In addition to the social challenges it creates, this loss — or reduction — is linked to a significantly increased risk of cognitive decline in later life. That risk may be two to three times higher for those affected.

A joint team from the Lifespan Developmental Psychology Lab and the Cognitive Ageing Lab at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) set out to investigate whether the combination of hearing difficulties and feelings of loneliness — whether objectively measured or subjectively perceived — could be associated with accelerated memory decline in older age. ”This is a relatively new approach,” explains Charikleia Lampraki, postdoctoral researcher in the Lifespan Lab at UNIGE’s Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and first author of the study. ”While some studies have suggested that this might be a promising avenue, very few research teams have actually explored it.”

33,000 people studied

To conduct their analyses, the researchers drew on data from the large-scale SHARE study (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) — a longitudinal survey launched in 2002 that examines the health and ageing of Europeans aged 50 and over.

“We used data from twelve countries, including Switzerland, representing a sample of 33,000 people,” explains Andreas Ihle, assistant professor at the Lifespan Lab and director of the study. Participants are surveyed every two years on various aspects of their daily lives — such as activities, social connections, and perceptions — and undergo tests on cognitive functions like episodic memory, using standardised exercises.

The UNIGE research team identified three distinct profiles related to the issue:

1. Individuals who are socially isolated and feel lonely

2. Individuals who are not socially isolated but still feel lonely

3. Individuals who are socially isolated but do not feel lonely

Isolation and deafness: an ”explosive” cocktail

The scientists then examined whether these different profiles had different trajectories of cognitive decline, depending on the type of perceived isolation and the degree of hearing loss. ”We found that people who were not socially isolated but who felt lonely saw their cognitive decline accelerate when they were deaf,” says Matthias Kliegel, a full professor in the Cognitive Ageing Laboratory in the UNIGE’s Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, and co-author of the study.

These findings support the importance of addressing both hearing loss and the social and emotional dimensions of individuals in efforts to prevent cognitive decline. This is particularly crucial for people who are not socially isolated but still feel lonely — in such cases, simple hearing interventions, like using a hearing aid, may be enough to help them engage more fully in social life. “These individuals are already socially integrated, so it’s a matter of removing a sensory barrier in order to reinforce their engagement and protect their cognitive health,” concludes Charikleia Lampraki.