Common diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia, are major health problems that can affect us all. A key part of finding the best treatments, or even better, stopping them from happening, is to understand more about how these diseases develop and why some people get them and some don’t. This will include looking closely at the role played by variations in our genetic code (a bit like looking for spelling mistakes in our body’s instruction manual).
Clinical Research Facility: Exeter
Exeter 10,000
To do this, researchers need blood samples and health information on large numbers of people with and without health problems. The Exeter 10,000 project (EXTEND) was set up to meet these needs.
Funded by the NIHR (the research arm of the NHS), EXTEND has developed into an important resource for recruiting large numbers of local people who are willing to provide blood and urine samples and answer simple health and lifestyle questions.
All participants are given a unique study ID number under which all their samples and lifestyle/health information are stored securely. This anonymised information can then be used for future studies aimed at increasing our understanding on the development of common diseases, and healthy aging (why/why don’t some people develop health problems as they get older).
Participants are also offered the opportunity to be contacted about future projects needing volunteers that, based on the information we have stored, they may be suitable to take part in.
There would be no obligation to take part in these further studies and you would be approached initially by the EXTEND team on behalf of the researchers. Your contact details would not be shared with any researcher without your express permission.
How can I volunteer?
If you are interested in joining EXTEND or would like more information please contact us directly on 01392 408181 or via crf@exeter.ac.uk.