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People from Black communities, with or without health conditions, are invited to take part in the Improving Black Health Outcomes (IBHO) BioResource.

This new research initiative, led by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) BioResource in collaboration with King’s College London and Genomics England, aims to improve our knowledge and understanding of health conditions and their unique impacts on UK Black communities.

The NIHR BioResource supports health research by recruiting and maintaining a database of over 300,000 volunteers who have donated data and samples to advance medical studies.

Who is eligible for the IBHO BioResource?

For the IBHO BioResource, Black communities refers to individuals who are from the following ethnic backgrounds: Black African, Black Caribbean, Black African-Caribbean, Black British, Black Welsh, Black Irish, Black Scottish, Dual or Mixed Black heritage, and/or Black ‘other’.

What is the aim of the IBHO BioResource?

Health research has often overlooked the specific health needs and experiences of Black communities. This can be problematic because it means the findings may not be applicable to everyone. As a result, individuals from Black communities have often not benefited from advances in health research.

The IBHO BioResource aims to change this by ensuring Black communities are represented in research. This will help confirm that important future discoveries, such as genetic links to health conditions, are applicable to everyone, including Black communities.

The IBHO BioResource will support health research by collecting a variety of data, including genetic samples, information from health records (e.g. medication use), personal information (e.g. age and gender), lifestyle factors (e.g. diet and smoking), and social factors (e.g. housing and employment).

Why is the IBHO BioResource important?

The IBHO BioResource will enable research into a range of health conditions. These include:

• conditions that are common in UK-based Black communities such as diabetes
• conditions that almost exclusively affect Black people such as sickle cell disorder
• conditions that are not well researched in UK-based Black communities such as anxiety, depression, and skin problems.

It aims to improve understanding of:

• how and why some health conditions occur in Black communities
• what the best assessments are to accurately identify these conditions in Black people
• how we can use the research findings to improve and/or develop interventions and treatments that are tailored to the specific needs and health experiences of Black communities

How to get involved

If you decide to join, you will donate a blood or saliva sample and be asked to complete a health and lifestyle questionnaire.

You will also be asked to complete a consent form that explains how your data and samples will be used and enables you to be matched with specific research studies.

To register your interest, please complete the brief online form here: Improving Black Health Outcomes (IBHO) BioResource

More information

If you have any questions, please reach out to ibho@bioresource.nihr.ac.uk. Further information is also available in the patient information leaflet below.

Download the patient information leaflet here