Tender opportunity for providers to manage, genotype, and store Our Future Health biological samples
Recruiting five million participants across the UK
Our Future Health aims to recruit up to five million adults from across the UK to take part in the UK’s largest ever health programme. Participants will be asked to provide information about their health and lifestyles and a small sample of their blood.
Permission will be sought to combine the information and samples that participants provide with existing information about them, including their health records. Adding these additional types of information will help to build a more comprehensive picture of health and wellbeing that could be relevant to understanding what changes people’s risk of disease.
Making new discoveries about human health and diseases
Combining these multiple sources of health and health-relevant information, including genetic data, will create an incredibly detailed picture that represents the whole of the UK. Researchers will use this information to make new discoveries about human health and diseases.
A collaboration between the public sector, charities and companies
Our Future Health is an ambitious collaboration between the public sector, charities and companies. We work closely with the NHS and with public authorities across all nations and regions of the UK. Our partnerships with charities and industry will be an important part of making Our Future Health a success, including providing part of the funding needed to set up and deliver the programme.
Calculating genetic risk scores
We will use the health information, including genetic data, to calculate disease risk scores for participants, where possible. Based on these risk profiles, it might be possible to better identify individuals who are at higher risk of developing certain diseases. This will provide an opportunity to test the potential of new diagnostic tests or treatments as they are discovered and to see how effective they could be for people at higher risk of certain diseases.
This will also mean we can facilitate research addressing important questions about the potential uses of new ‘genetic risk scores’ in health care.
Services required to process and store samples
To achieve these aims, we are contracting for services to process the samples collected, conduct genotyping and to provide long term storage and access solutions.
The scope of the procurement includes:
- receipt, processing and DNA extraction of blood samples from up to 5 million participants;
- design, manufacture and assessment of a high-throughput genome-wide genotype assay;
- the provision of a genotyping service; and
- ultra-low temperature, long term storage of plasma, buffy coat, and DNA.
The aim for start of these agreements is December 2021.
Our Future Health is the Contracting Authority and Akeso&Co are undertaking the procurement on our behalf.
Please visit https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019818-2021 for further details of this opportunity.