MANCHESTER, 15 July 2025 — The UK Biobank has completed scanning its 100,000th participant in the largest and most detailed imaging study of its kind anywhere in the world.
Launched in 2014, the project set out to create a multimodal imaging resource that researchers could use to better understand, diagnose, and prevent a wide range of diseases including dementia, cancer, stroke, and heart disease.
The final scan was carried out at the UK Biobank’s dedicated imaging centre in Newcastle, one of four facilities purpose-built for the study. Each participant underwent a comprehensive suite of scans, including MRI of the brain, heart, and abdomen; full-body composition imaging; carotid ultrasound; and DEXA scans to assess bone density. These were combined with blood, urine, saliva samples, lifestyle information, and genetic data collected earlier, creating a uniquely rich dataset.
Steve, the final participant scanned, said he was proud to contribute to a project “that will help others in the future.” Now retired and working in the charity sector, he was among thousands of volunteers who gave their time to support the project’s ambitious aims.
Funded by the Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, and British Heart Foundation, the study was initially considered overly ambitious—“some thought it would be impossible,” said Dr Naomi Allen, Chief Scientist at UK Biobank. She added: “This achievement was only possible thanks to the incredible commitment of our volunteers, staff, funders and collaborators.”
The resource is already widely used by researchers worldwide. More than 3,400 peer-reviewed publications have drawn on UK Biobank data to investigate early markers of disease and explore how imaging changes over time. One recent study used artificial intelligence to identify early signs of heart disease from imaging data—potentially years before symptoms appear.
Professor Sir Rory Collins, UK Biobank Principal Investigator, called it “a milestone moment” and said the data “will transform our ability to tackle the growing burden of chronic disease.”
The imaging dataset is now fully open to approved researchers globally, offering unprecedented opportunities to track disease trajectories, identify risk factors, and advance precision medicine.