New data now available (data release v19)

We’re pleased to share the latest UK Biobank data enhancements, including new and
updated datasets to support your research.

Sleep questionnaire

In response to researcher requests, UK Biobank conducted a large-scale sleep survey, the
most comprehensive of its kind.

The results for approximately 180,000 respondents are now available, covering sleep
patterns, disorders, quality, work and sleep, restless leg syndrome, consequences, and
related behaviours.

Brain imaging

We’ve updated derived tabular and image outputs for around 15,000 participants from the UK
Biobank brain imaging pipeline. Additionally, task and resting state MRI data are now mapped
to the cortical surface for over 63,000 participants.

Genetic data

Updated Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) are now available for 485,000 participants, covering
28 diseases and 25 traits, supporting studies on the genetic determinants of disease, gene-environment interactions and preventative healthcare.

Other highlights

Chromosomally integrated HHV: Data on chromosomally-integrated human
herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is now available for all 500,000 participants.
VO2max: Estimates for VO2max (per kg bodyweight), taken from personalised
exercise tests, are available for approx. 80,000 participants.
Carotid ultrasound: All carotid ultrasound images for approx. 80,000 participants
have been converted to a more accessible .mat format.
DRAGEN formats: Genetic data in new PLINK2 and BGEN formats, plus updated
machine-learning corrected VCF data (pVCF), for all 500,000 participants.
Address and death records: Residential location data, census area information, and
death records for England, Scotland and Wales have been updated.
Invitation dates for online questionnaires: New data fields added for invitation dates
to complete online questionnaires

Full data release details available here

Restriction of OMOP data tables

As part of this data refresh, the OMOP derivation dataset has now been restricted due to quality issues identified by research groups. Researchers can still request access by contacting the Access team. Please review this article beforehand.

We are looking into the demand for converting UK Biobank data into common data models, such as OMOP, to make them more accessible and useful for researchers. Complete this short survey to share your thoughts and help guide our efforts.