Amgen subsidiary deCode Genetics is set to perform whole genome sequencing on 500,000 participants in UK Biobank, a nonprofit medical research project.
The company will perform the whole genome sequencing work in partnership with the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the U.K. The partners aim to complete the project in 2021, and the plan is to make the data available to the global scientific community, with the goal of improving the understanding of the biology and treatment of diseases.
UK Biobank is collecting fluid samples and patient histories from people in the U.K. between the ages of 40 and 69 and intends to track outcomes long term. The project's founders include the following U.K. charities and governmental organizations: the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, and the Department of Health.
