June 2026 UK Biobank, the University of Exeter, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Illumina launched a £16 million UK Biobank Epigenetics Project to generate one of the world's largest epigenetic datasets. The initiative will analyze epigenetic variation across thousands of samples to advance research into cancer, dementia, cardiovascular disease, mental health, and ageing.
June 2026 Illumina joined the UK Biobank Epigenetics Project as the technology partner, providing its epigenetic analysis platform to support genome-wide characterization of epigenetic variation and accelerate biomarker discovery for precision medicine.
June 2026 The University of Exeter expanded its epigenetics research capabilities by co-leading the UK Biobank Epigenetics Project, strengthening the UK's infrastructure for translational epigenetics research through collaboration with national and international partners.
June 2026 The Novo Nordisk Foundation committed £16 million in philanthropic funding to support the UK Biobank Epigenetics Project, enabling the creation of a large-scale epigenetics research resource to accelerate disease biomarker discovery and the development of precision medicine approaches in the United Kingdom.