“I’ve worked with large data sets before, but nothing that’s on quite the same scale as Our Future Health,” says Dr Mahantesh Biradar, a Research Fellow at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.  

For the past four years, Mahantesh has worked alongside Anthony Khawaja, a Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Honorary Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Together, they’re studying Our Future Health volunteers’ data to better understand the causes of common eye diseases like glaucoma. 

“It’s incredibly exciting,” says Mahantesh. “We’re using this unparalleled data set to investigate why some people develop sight-threatening conditions such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, while others remain unaffected.” 

By searching for answers, Mahantesh and his team hope to give doctors the tools to detect at-risk individuals earlier and develop targeted strategies for prevention.  

“Our aim is to protect people’s vision and reduce the burden of blindness across the population.”

What makes Our Future Health unique?

Mahantesh says when he first heard about Our Future Health, he was so enthused by our programme’s potential that he signed up as a volunteer. “I think it’s amazing that when a participant joins Our Future Health, that single contribution could support countless studies for years to come.” 

He says several factors make Our Future Health truly unique. 

“The first is its scale. It’s already one of the largest health research programmes in the world – and it’s still growing. Right now, I have secure access to de-identified health information from 1.5 million participants, along with genetic data from around 650,000 people.  

“Large-scale data sets like this are essential for genetic research because they give us the statistical power to detect even very small effects.”  

Another defining strength is the diversity of the cohort. 

“With this data set, we can run genetic analyses across multiple ancestries, including Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic groups. It means our findings will be far more representative, accurate, and equitable. The wealth of health-related data available will ensure that people from historically under-represented groups are not only included in the research but also benefit from its results in the years to come. 

“In previous data sets, diversity was limited and sometimes overwhelmingly skewed towards participants of European ancestry. This lack of representation made it much harder to draw conclusions that applied equally well to all communities. Our Future Health is helping to change that by giving us the breadth and balance we have long needed.” 

Evaluating polygenic risk scores

One of Mahantesh’s focuses is to evaluate the accuracy of an existing polygenic risk score (PRS) using data from our cohort. 

“We’ve already carried out the largest meta-analysis so far of intraocular pressure – the pressure that tends to rise in people’s eyes when they get glaucoma – using data from multiple large genetic studies across the world.

“We used the information to develop a PRS, which we’re now checking against genetic, lifestyle, and environmental data from Our Future Health’s cohort. The process will help us to test how well the scores predict glaucoma. 

“Our hope is that in the future, healthcare providers can use reliable PRSs to help screen individuals effectively. For glaucoma, this means identifying at-risk people early in the disease’s progression so interventions can be made to prevent or reduce the risk of vision loss later in life.”

What is it like working with our systems?

Mahantesh says he’s been pleasantly surprised by the experience of analysing our data set. 

“With large data sets, sharing raw files can become impractical”, he explains. “Our Future Health solves this by providing a secure computing environment, the Trusted Research Environment (TRE), which allows approved researchers to securely access de-identified data in the cloud without the need (or even ability) to download it. This meant I could start working as soon as my application was approved and access was granted. 

“There was a learning curve, but I soon understood how the data are organised, how to run analysis applets (user-friendly tools that help me to run scripts through a graphical interface instead of command-line prompts), how to manage my scripts, and how to share results with my team. 

“The scale that makes this resource valuable can feel daunting at first. But Our Future Health has lots of clear documentation explaining how the data are categorised and how to find variables.” 

We also recently hosted a series of webinars for researchers using Our Future Health data in their studies, one of which Mahantesh attended.  

“It was hugely helpful. The team was able to answer my questions and explain how everything works really clearly.” 

Advice for interested researchers

Mahantesh offers some words of wisdom for other researchers who are thinking of applying to access our resource. 

“The first step I would suggest is to have a clear idea of the questions you want to answer and the data you’ll need. As part of your study proposal, you will also need to show how your work will be of public benefit. 

“The second step is to understand exactly what Our Future Health expects from you. This means familiarising yourself with their mission, research priorities, and ethical guidelines. They place strong emphasis on projects that deliver tangible benefits to population health, make responsible use of sensitive health data, and ensure findings are shared for good.  

“If you can clearly demonstrate in your proposal how your research aligns with these priorities, whether by addressing a pressing public health challenge, responsibly leveraging their data sets, or fostering collaboration with NHS and academic partners, you will greatly increase your chances of approval. 

“I’d definitely encourage other researchers to look at this resource and consider how it could help their work. I’m thoroughly excited about the positive impact Our Future Health could have on public health in the UK – and indeed all around the world.”