The China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) is celebrating 20 years since the start of the study in 2004.
The result of collaboration between researchers in Oxford and China, CKB is a long-term prospective study involving more than half a million participants recruited from ten diverse areas across China.
Previous large-scale population studies had focused on predominantly Caucasian populations in Europe and the UK. CKB was established to fill this research gap by providing high quality data that would offer insight into the causes of common diseases that are relevant not just for China but around the world.
The resource is now enabling scientists to investigate a multitude of conditions, and new technologies are enabling insights to elucidate our understanding of risk factors and support the development of new treatments.
Professor Zhengming Chen, the study Principal Investigator in Oxford, said ‘The first 20 years of the China Kadoorie Biobank has shown the value of collaboration between China and the UK, and together we have learnt many lessons on how to design and conduct large-scale biobanks. We are only just starting to see the scientific achievements made possible, with China Kadoorie Biobank in combination with UK Biobank and other diverse large-scale studies.’
To date, there have been over 550 publications arising from CKB (over 350 in the last five years), with the majority from researchers in China, and many led by open access researchers. CKB has contributed to many international genomic consortia, substantially increasing the representation of East Asian ancestry populations and improving health equity in genomics. High-impact findings of public health relevance from CKB have contributed to the development of guidelines and strategies for disease prevention and treatment.
A ceremony and series of meetings took place in Beijing to recognise the landmark and celebrate the achievements of the study.
Professor Liming Li, the study Principal Investigator at Peking University, introduced the meetings, and said ‘The China Kadoorie Biobank is the first study of its kind in China, and it has led the way for important scientific findings that will benefit the health of the Chinese and global populations for generations to come. It is important to acknowledge the efforts of the many academic researchers, government officials, and field staff over the past 20 years, who have made this study possible and contributed to its success.’
The ceremony at Peking University included representatives from the China government and Ministry of Health, regional health authorities, Centres for Disease Control, Red Cross, and the Kadoorie Foundation (who provided the original funding to set up the study). Study staff and field workers from Peking University and the ten regional study sites, many of whom have worked on the study since it first started, were recognised and received awards for their contributions to the study.
There was an opportunity for discussions with regulatory authorities and stakeholders on data sharing for large biobanks, focused on the UK Biobank open access model and new Research Analysis Platform. The importance of open access data sharing was highlighted, and its value for increasing high-impact research outputs, and the benefits of conducting population-based health research of direct relevance to Chinese, as well as global, populations.
An International Symposium on Cohort-based Biobanks included talks on the CKB, UK Biobank, and other global studies, including several from across China and East Asia, many of which have designed their procedures based on the China Kadoorie Biobank. The wide range of research presented covered stroke prevention, the gut microbiome, air pollution, infectious pathogens, genetic risk cores, longevity and lifestyle factors, proteomics, and novel computational systems for big data storage and analyses.