About us
The NIHR BioResource is a national platform supporting research into the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease.
We connect researchers with volunteers to accelerate health research and improve care.
Our Mission
To facilitate human health research and its transformation into medical practice.
We achieve this by:
- recruiting and supporting participants across the UK.
- partnering with researchers in academia, the NHS and industry.
- providing fast and secure access to samples and data.
- building strong collaborations that maximise research impact.
We launched in 2007 as part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), to address a key challenge: finding the right participants for research, especially those with rare genetic variants.
Our national coordinating centre is in Cambridge and is hosted by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Cambridge.
From our early days in Cambridge, we’ve grown into a network of 28 centres across England, working with over 100 NHS Trusts.
Our volunteers, both patients and healthy individuals, provide samples and health data to support vital research.
How our volunteers help us make health research happen
Take a look at our 2 minute animation that explains what happens to your blood or saliva sample when you join the BioResource.
What we do
We support health research by recruiting and maintaining a resource of data and samples donated by over 350,000 volunteers.
We can also recall those volunteers to participate in further research based on specific genetic data or health and lifestyle criteria as set by researchers.
Recruitment
We recruit participants into three main Cohorts.
- Rare diseases
- Common diseases
- General population
Our infrastructure includes:
- Single Consent: One-time agreement for sample use, data access, and recontact
- Single Repository: Central sample storage at the NIHR National BioSample Centre
- Single Database: Secure, integrated data system linking clinical and genetic records.
Why it matters
Our approach speeds up research and improves outcomes:
- Scientists can find participants with specific genetic traits faster
- Studies can be smaller, more focused, and more cost-effective
- New treatments reach patients sooner
- Families and communities benefit from better, more efficient healthcare
What makes our approach so successful?
- Identifying rare genetic variants often requires screening thousands of people.
- Researchers can pre-screen participants and invite only those with the relevant traits.
- We provide matched control groups, helping researchers compare results and draw clearer conclusions.
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Meet the team
Meet The TeamThe management group are responsible for day-to-day operations of the BioResource.
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Our partners
PartnersWe're proud to partner with a range of charities, community organisations, commercial partners, NHS Trusts and more.
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Careers
CareersIf you're looking to grow your career and contribute to innovative work supporting health research, find out about working at the BioResource and any current vacancies.