For the first time, genomic data for over 37,000 children and parents collected over multiple decades from across the UK is now available to researchers worldwide.
High-resolution DNA sequencing creates a unique resource to explore the relationship between genetic and environmental factors in child health and development. The data release is led by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Children of the 90s (ALSPAC), Millennium Cohort Study, and Born in Bradford. The data release is supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC).
Previously, large DNA sequence datasets typically focused on children with rare conditions or adult population cohorts.
This new data release is the first time the focus has been on sequencing birth cohorts, which are population-based studies of people followed from birth through to adolescence or early adulthood.
To produce this data release, researchers at the Sanger Institute sequenced all 20,000 genes in the human genome, known as exome sequencing, in samples from:
- 8,436 children and 3,215 parents from the Children of the 90s study
- 7,667 children and 6,925 parents from the MCS
- 8,784 children and 2,875 parents from BiB
These combined data resources offer the scientific community the opportunity to make valuable insights in areas ranging from population genetics to the social sciences.
