The potential value of data from biomarkers will be the focus of ISER’s event on 8 November for policy makers, the third sector and academics at the British Academy in London as part of this year’s Festival of Social Science.
The UK’s biggest household survey, Understanding Society, is collecting a range of anthropomorphic measures such as height, weight, waist line, grip strength, lung function and blood pressure which will be key to understanding a picture of the nation’s health, wellbeing and the risks of disease. Blood samples are also taken to enable a range of markers to be extracted which are known to be associated with the onset of medical conditions such as cardio-vascular disease or diabetes.
Biomarker data open new opportunities for policy-relevant research, and speakers will include experts on the potential value of biomarkers in the field of epigenetics and public health.
The biomarker data, combined with the rich social and environmental data from Understanding Society, will be of significant interest to policy makers from a wide range of government departments.
Speakers include:
Professor Heather Laurie (ISER) on Biomarkers in Understanding Society
Professor Amanda Sacker (ISER) on Height, Weight and Strength: Implications for public health
Professor James Nazroo (University of Manchester) on Using biomarkers to examine inequalities in the outcomes of health care
Professor Dieter Wolfe (University of Warwick) on Genetics and the importance of the environment for mental health
Professor John Hobcraft (University of York) on Epigenetics and policy potential.