IBM signed up for Biobank database

The UK Biobank has signed a deal with IBM that will lead to the creation of the world's largest database of biological samples and medical records.

Scientists and medical researchers around the world believe the establishment of these so-called biobanks will be a crucial element in the fight to solve cancer, Aids and other fatal diseases.

The UK Biobank will be a resource for the study of the role of nature and nurture in health and disease.

It will involve up to half-a-million participants and will build on the work of the Human Genome Project, creating a national database containing information on the participants' current health, lifestyle and medical histories over several decades.

Chief information officer Stephen Walker says technology will play a crucial role in the organisation's plans, especially with the high volumes of sensitive data it will handle.

'The risks we face, given the value of the information we're storing, are immense,' he said.

Walker plans to have volunteers enter their medical data on touch-screen terminals in clinics across the UK, while doctors will collect tissue samples - all this data will be stored in an automated storage centre in Manchester.

To make this a reality, the charity has signed a contract with IBM for the provision of hardware for the first phase of its technology implementation.

The vendor already provides IT design and architecture for the charity.

In the coming months, Walker expects to announce similar systems and applications deals with other technology partners.

He also intends to start a range of pilot programmes next month lasting until next August, with full recruitment of volunteers starting next September.

'By next month, we need to get an IT plan approved by the board and start hiring technology staff, as well as putting our systems in place,' he said.

'The first thing I've got to deliver is the ability to collect, transport and store clinical data, then we'll have a biobank. The rest can follow in the future, the analysis, data warehousing and so on.'

Read more about biobanking here.