A National Birdshot Biobank and Registry: Phase 2

By creating the world’s first National Birdshot Biobank and Registry, it will make it easier for researchers and clinicians to do useful research and work towards better outcomes of birdshot treatments. The process for obtaining and storing tissue samples for the biobank and creating the database that forms the national patient registry has now been achieved.

The UK National Biobank and Registry staff are now ready to roll out their sample collection and data-gathering over the next 12 months to six eye hospital sites in England. During the roll-out, the researchers, led by Professor Alastair Denniston, will be fine-tuning their procedures to enable the next phase, which is the nationwide roll out.

The researchers plan to study the genetic makeup of birdshot patients using the first set of banked samples and data. The results of which could lead to a better understanding of the causes of birdshot and develop ways of predicting the way the condition could progress in a person. Eventually, the aim is that doctors will be able to select and target birdshot treatments more effectively to each patient and improve patient care.