TwinsUK Programme of Research
Research type
Research Study
Full title
TwinsUK Programme of Research
IRAS ID
342169
Contact name
Claire Steves
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King’s College London
Duration of Study in the UK
30 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The TwinsUK cohort, established in 1992, initially conducted smaller studies on the twin participants until 2004 when it transitioned into a registered cohort study (TwinsUK Study, REC ref: EC04/015) to facilitate broader sample and data collection. Ethical approval was initially granted by the St. Thomas' Hospital Research Ethics Committee, with subsequent approvals overseen by the NRES Committee London - Westminster following restructuring. In September 2007, ongoing approval was granted, ensuring indefinite continuation.
In 2018, a review of the TwinsUK model by HRA identified its similarity to a Research Tissues Bank, prompting the application for ethical approval for the TwinsUK BioBank (REC ref: 19/NW/0187, IRAS ID: 258513), which was granted by the North West-Liverpool East REC in May 2019. The first TwinsUK Study was then incorporated into the TwinsUK BioBank in February 2023.
Recent HRA feedback suggested that the Research Tissues Bank design was not suitable for running sub-studies. Instead, a Programme of Research application was recommended, leading to the proposal of the TwinsUK Programme of Research.
The TwinsUK Programme of Research aims to continue collecting biological specimens and questionnaire data from registered TwinsUK members through research visits, home-based studies, and postal. These visits will include a core programme of repeated longitudinal clinical phenotypes and the opportunity to gather new collections of phenotypes and biosamples.
In addition to longitudinal data collection, the TwinsUK Programme of Research will also facilitate substudies to address specific research questions. These studies that may be grant-funded or access requests from collaborators and could utilise research visits in line with the protocol to collect specimens and data efficiently & cost-effectively, with some requiring study-specific follow-up visits. Each substudy will have its protocol outlining research objectives and a recruitment-specific sub-study Volunteer Information Sheet (VIS). This application includes several sub-studies for your consideration.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/NW/0107
Date of REC Opinion
9 May 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion