Distinguishing Cohort, Project, and Health Service in UK Precision Medicine
Why this matters
The UK Biobank is a long-term research cohort, the 100,000 Genomes Project is an NHS patient-centric sequencing and research initiative, and the NHS Genomic Medicine Service is a clinical care service. While interconnected, they are not part of the same organization nor bound by identical clinical contracts. Although recruitment for the 100KGP was completed in 2018, ongoing activities include research, re-analysis, and result return. Success should be evaluated not solely by genome count but also considering consent, controlled access, phenotype quality, representation, diagnostic yield, and service integration.
Interpretation boundary
This article explains the concept and the limits of the evidence. It does not provide diagnostic, testing, or treatment decisions for an individual patient.