When Blood Chemistry Tells the Future of Health
Abstract: UK Biobank has completed one of its most ambitious efforts yet: profiling blood metabolites from nearly 500,000 volunteers across the UK. These small molecules, byproducts of how our cells …
Prathamesh Sontakke
When DNA Repeats Start to Shift: What Biobanks Are Revealing
Abstract: Tiny stretches of repeated DNA known as tandem repeats are far more dynamic than once believed. By analyzing whole-genome sequencing data from over 900,000 participants in the UK Biobank …
Belly Fat, Fatty Acids & the Tiny Vessels That Matter Most
Abstract: Big diseases often start small, sometimes in vessels thinner than a hair strand. Microvascular diseases (MVDs), which impact kidneys, nerves, and eyes, stem from damage to these tiny blood …
Growing Cancer to Fight It — Inside NZ’s First Lung Tumour Biobank
Abstract: We often about cancer research, new drugs, survival curves, and statistics. But real breakthroughs sometimes begin with a scientist lying awake at 3am, thinking about a dish of cells …
The Exercise-Rewind in Our Blood: A Biobank-Powered Aging Signal
Abstract: Biological aging isn’t the same for everyone, lifestyle leaves fingerprints, even in our proteins. A study on 45,438 UK Biobank participants found that a higher proteomic aging score (ProtAgeGap) …
Why Some Diabetes Biobank Samples Never Leave the Freezer
Abstract: Biobanks are often imagined as engines of progress, quietly storing samples today to unlock cures tomorrow. But what happens when those samples never move? Drawing on ethnographic research from …
Inside the Gut’s Hidden Library: A New Kind of Biobank
Abstract: For years, biobanks have focused on cells, tissues, and fluids we can easily name. But a new kind of repository is quietly expanding the definition of what’s worth preserving. …
What Biobanks Reveal About Ancient Genes in Modern Humans
Abstract: For years, scientists have speculated that genetic changes separating modern humans from Neanderthals may explain differences in brain power, health, and even metabolic conditions like diabetes. Thanks to large-scale …
Unraveling the Genetics of Multiple Long-Term Conditions
Abstract: As the number of people living with multiple long-term conditions (MLTC) continues to rise, understanding why these conditions cluster has become one of modern healthcare’s toughest puzzles. This new …
The Diabetes Shift: When Human Biobanks Start Telling the Real Story
Abstract: For decades, diabetes research leaned heavily on rodent models, and while they taught us a lot, they also misled us just enough to stall real breakthroughs. Today, thanks to …