On Aug. 4, 2025, UK Biobank announced it had reached a historic milestone – completing 100,000 whole-body imaging scans in the largest and most detailed human imaging study ever undertaken. This achievement was celebrated on 16 July 2025 with two high-profile events at the Royal Society and the House of Commons, marking a proud moment for UK science and research.

Launched in 2014, the UK Biobank Imaging Project set out to scan the brains, hearts, abdomens, bones and blood vessels of 100,000 volunteers using advanced MRI, DXA, and ultrasound technologies.

Each participant underwent a five-hour session, generating over one billion images that are now powering research into diseases such as dementia, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes.

By linking imaging scans with genetic, lifestyle, and health records from UK Biobank’s 500,000 participants, researchers are uncovering unprecedented insights into how diseases develop, progress, and vary across populations.

With the initial imaging phase complete, UK Biobank is now advancing a repeat imaging study involving 60,000 participants to strengthen understanding of ageing and disease progression. Researchers are eager to build on this extraordinary foundation and continue driving progress in biomedical science.