Improving health outcomes with the NIHR BioResource project

Our Clinical Research Facility team have joined the NIHR BioResource project and are calling on volunteers to come forward to help advance medical knowledge and future patient care.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Norfolk Clinical Research Facility team, based at the Quadram Institute, will be recruiting participants to the NIHR BioResource, a publicly funded national research resource with a network of 28 centres across England and a community of 350,000 volunteers who have agreed to take part in research.

The NIHR Bioresource links researchers with people willing to participate in research and provides approved researchers access to genetic, clinical and lifestyle information collected from its community of volunteer participants.

Individuals who join will be asked to provide samples such as blood or saliva for genetic analysis, as well as relevant health and lifestyle information to support research. Participants may also be contacted about taking part in future studies.

NNUH’s BioResource team includes research nurses, specialist nurses and research midwives, working alongside doctors and under the leadership of Dr Kate Read as the Principal Investigator. The team aim to recruit participants from a variety of settings, including outpatient departments, inpatient wards, specialist clinics, and community events, to maximise recruitment opportunities and support inclusive participation.

Approved researchers can use the NIHR BioResource to find and contact volunteers who have already agreed to be approached about research. This makes it quicker and easier for participants to be recruited into research studies, helping research to commence more efficiently. The BioResource gives approved researchers access to the genetic, health and lifestyle information that volunteers have chosen to share. Researchers must go through a formal application and approval process before they can use this information. This helps them carry out research that would otherwise be difficult, especially into genetics and rare diseases. The research aims to improve understanding of how diseases develop, identify new treatments and improve patient care. Your personal details will only be available to authorised members of the NIHR BioResource team and regulatory authorities who monitor that the study is being carried out correctly.

NNUH will be recruiting for two BioResource cohorts:

D-CYPHR (DNA, Children + Young People’s Health Resource) supports research into childhood health conditions by involving children and young people aged 0–15 years.

We will be inviting children and young people aged 0–15 years who are patients at our hospital to take part in the study. In addition, siblings and other family members aged 0–15 years who are not hospital patients can also join by signing up with our research team. Participation involves completing a short health and lifestyle questionnaire and providing a saliva sample, just as our patient participants do. Families can also take part entirely from home by registering and consenting online and providing a saliva sample via a kit sent in the post.

The programme aims to improve our understanding of how genetics and environmental factors influence a wide range of childhood conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, mental health conditions and rare diseases.

Improving Black Health Outcomes (IBHO) BioResource focuses on improving understanding of health conditions that disproportionately affect Black African and Caribbean communities, including sickle cell disease. The programme aims to increase representation in genetic research to help develop fairer, more effective treatments and healthcare for Black communities.

We are focusing on recruiting individuals from Black communities, including adults and their families and children with Sickle Cell disease to join the Improving Black Health Outcomes cohort, and also on children aged 0-15 years to join the D-CYPHR cohort.

By joining the BioResource, participants can contribute to health research aimed at improving our understanding of health and disease and supporting the development of new treatments and interventions.

If you would like to learn more about the NIHR BioResource or are interested in taking part, please contact the study team via email at NIHRbioresource@nnuh.nhs.uk or by visiting the BioResource website www.bioresource.nihr.ac.uk