South Asia Biobank (360G-Wellcome-212945_Z_18_Z)

South Asians are not well represented in large-scale longitudinal studies including UK Biobank (Indian, n=6109, Pakistani, n=1905, Bangladeshi, n=240). We propose a South Asia Biobank of ~180,000 participants from UK and South Asia, underpinned by our; i. track-record in carrying out such studies; ii. existing infrastructure, investments, and partnerships in UK and South Asia, and iii. established frameworks for linkage to health records enabling identification of future outcomes. We will; i. increase recruitment into London Life Sciences Population (LOLIPOP) Study (32,183 South Asians, 2002-2008) to n~80,000 South Asians, from the lists of North-West London general practitioners ii. enhance LOLIPOP cohort by measuring additional exposures and phenotypes. In parallel, we will collect and store biological samples from ~100,000 South Asians being followed-up longitudinally, with high-quality standardised NCD surveillance data at 5 Centres of Excellence in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as part of our National Institute of Health Research (NIHR, £7M) Global Health Research Unit (sample collection not funded by NIHR). The South Asia Biobank will form a core part of UK’s portfolio of longitudinal studies made available to researchers world-wide for investigation of wide ranging scientific questions among South Asians, who comprise ¼ of the world's population.