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UK Biobank is a study of gene/environment interaction in 500,000 men and women aged 40-69 years from throughout the UK. The study is funded by the Wellcome Trust, MRC, DoH, Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government. Recruitment has begun and will continue until 2011. Cardiff University is one of 6 collaborating centres for this project and is responsible for operating the Participant Resource Centre for the project. UK Biobank is the world’s most complex large scale data resource.
Virtual Organisations for Trials and Epidemiological Studies (VOTES) is funded by the MRC as an e-GRID initiative to develop grid technology for health research. As part of this project Cardiff University is working with the Robertson Centre for Biostatistics on de-identifiability and data security in Large Scale Data Resources.
National Epidemiology Wales (NEW) is funded by the Wales Office for Research and Development (WORD) to establish an infrastructure in Wales for Large Scale Data Resources. Once developed, the infrastructure will be piloted in a remote data collection study of ageing and well being in Wales.
The trend towards larger and more complex Large Scale Data Resources inevitably leads to the incompleteness of data sets. Cardiff University is collaborating with Oregon State University and the IALSA network on methodological development work exploring innovative ways of analysing data to take full account of dropout. Cardiff University is also a member of the Lifecourse Epidemiology NDA preparatory network; a collaboration of many ageing related UK cohort studies.
The Cardiovascular Events Gene Bank is an initiative between Cardiff University and the MRC Centre for Causal Analyses for Translational Epidemiology (CATE) in Bristol to establish a case only gene bank for cardiovascular disease. This is an exploratory project to demonstrate the utility and economy of case only collections and the use of Large Scale Data Resources to provide universal controls.
CaPS has been described as the UK’s Framingham Study. Initiated by the MRC Epidemiology Unit (S.Wales), CaPS has followed over 2,500 men from the town of Caerphilly aged 45-59 at recruitment for over 25 years. Although originally a Cardiovascular cohort, over time the focus of research has shifted to issues surrounding ageing. Cardiff University is collaborating with the Department of Social Medicine in Bristol to explore the vascular and lifestyle determinants of dementia and psychosocial well-being in this cohort.
This is a cross-sectional study of over 12,000 residents of Caerphilly and the surrounding area aged 18-97 years. Various indicators of psychological well-being, perceived health and socio-economic status were measured. Funding for a follow-up phase for the study is being sought.
Clinical
Trial Methodology and Practice in older people and Cognitive Decline
These are ongoing studies of immunotherapeutic approaches to neurodegenerative
disease and other anti-amyloid drugs in Alzheimer’s disease. New
assessment measures, especially those of attention and also greater carer
involvement are being developed.
Frailty
Identification and assessment of frailty requires a multi-dimensional
approach combining genetic, biochemical, physical and mental function
measurements. These are being investigated in several cohorts of older
people.
Building on a large pan-European study (DOE: Dignity in older Europeans) of the meaning and significance of dignity in the lives of older people is being explored. Ongoing studies are linked to the NSF for older people are looking at practices that uphold and promote dignity, in health and social care settings
As part of the Caerphilly Prospective Study all neighbourhoods of current cohort members were objectively measured for the quality of the built environment using the Residential Environment Assessment Tool (REAT). Associations of the built environment with psychosocial well-being and lifestyle in these are being examined in these older men using multi-level modelling techniques.
In a cross-sectional survey of 1,052 resident aged 16-75 years the Residential Environment Assessment Tool was used alongside mailed and web based methods for collecting psychological well-being data. The data are being analysed using multi-level modelling methodology.
Prosdex is to assist older men decide whether or not to have a PSA test. It is an interactive web site with information and video testimonies.
BresDex has been funded by CRUK as a decision making aid for women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. BresDex is a collaboration with Sheffield and Oxford Universities.
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at Carbon Studio