The interim release of the genetic data on approximately 150,000 participants in UK Biobank has already facilitated many papers exploring the links between human genetic variation and disease, and their connection with a wide range of environmental and lifestyle factors. The UK Biobank continues to grow with the addition of further phenotypic information and as researchers return the results of their analyses for UK Biobank to share. Online resources are being developed for sharing the results of analyses using UK Biobank data, including the release of GWAS results for thousands of phenotypes (http://www.nealelab.is/uk-biobank) and the Oxford Brain Imaging Genetics server28 (http://big.stats.ox.ac.uk/). We anticipate that the availability of the full genetic data for UK Biobank will result in a further step change in this productive research cycle. The UK Biobank is a powerful example of the immense value that can be achieved from large population scale studies that combine genetics with extensive and deep phenotyping and linkage to health records coupled with a strong data sharing policy. It is likely to herald a new era in which these and related resources drive and enhance understanding of human biology and disease.
