Cambridge CardioResource was established to fulfil the joint purpose of testing the acceptability and feasibility of conducting research protocols within the routine framework of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and, also, creating a Research Tissue Bank for future research. It is the joint initiative of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge (Principal Investigator: Prof John Danesh) and the Department of Haematology / NHSBT (Principal Investigator: Prof Willem Ouwehand)

In 2010, 2500 blood donors in the East Anglia region were recruited to Cambridge Cardioresource. At the time of their routine donation, participants consented to giving additional research blood samples and for components of these blood samples (serum, plasma and DNA) to be stored for future research (including biomarker and genetic analysis). CardioResource participants have also consented to the use of data, collected during the study, in ethically approved research studies; these data include i) responses to questionnaires ii) physical measurements and iii) information retrieved via linkage with health records.

The results of the study have informed protocols for a landmark, nationwide study in 50,000 English blood donors – INTERVAL. The research tissue bank has been used in other research studies, for example DNA has been used in a genome-wide association study of haemoglobin concentration and related parameters (van der Harst et al Nature, 2012).

Schimpl M, Moore C, Lederer C, Neuhaus A, Sambrook J, Danesh J, Ouwehand W, Daumer M (2011). Association between walking speed and age in healthy, free-living individuals using mobile accelerometry – a cross-sectional study. PLos One 6(8): e23299.

Van der Harst P, et al. (2012). 75 genetic loci influencing the human red blood cell. Nature 492(7429): 369-75