Before you apply for access, you might want to take a look and see what our cohorts have to offer. Find out more about our cohorts here. Image Viking Genes is a research project consisting of three population cohorts, Viking II & III, Viking Health Study - Shetland and the Orkney Complex Disease Study (ORCADES). Our aim is to discover genes and variants that influence the risk of complex diseases. The reason for our focus is due to the distinct nature of the genetics in the Scottish Isles. There is an incredibly fine structure of genetics across Orkney and Shetland, with clear genetic distinction across individual isles. More recently, we have begun recruiting volunteers from the Hebrides due to isolation and clear genetic distinction from the genetics of mainland Scotland. We are always open to collaborating on our research efforts. We're also excited to collaborate on any other research efforts you may be working on and are happy to help in any way we can. To help you decide if accessing our data or collaborating with us will be useful to you, we have provided brief descriptions of our cohorts. You can find more information in the drop-down menus below. Viking II & III Image Viking II & III launched in 2020, after receiving Medical Research Council (MRC) funding. We aimed to recruit 6,000 people with 2 or more grandparents from the Hebrides, Orkney or Shetland. Volunteers are asked to complete an online survey and provide a sample of saliva. To take part, all participants consented to electronic health record linkage and recontact. We are no longer looking for new volunteers. Now recruitment is complete, we have over 10,000 volunteers involved across the Viking Genes cohorts. With data from these new volunteers, we'll be able to gain a better understanding of genetics and health across the Scottish Isles. All participants gave informed consent and the study was approved by the South East Scotland Research Ethics Committee, NHS Lothian (19/SS/0104). Data Dictionary During the Viking II phase, we only invited volunteers with 2 or more grandparents from Orkney or Shetland. Prior to expanding, we developed a data dictionary for this cohort, which can be found linked below: Viking II Data Dictionary Study Methodology Please see the following link for a description of the methods used for data collection: VIKING II, a Worldwide Observational Cohort of Volunteers with Northern Isles Ancestry Viking Health Study - Shetland Image The Viking Health Study - Shetland (VIKING) is a family-based, cross-sectional study that seeks to identify genetic factors influencing cardiovascular and other disease risks in the population isolate of the Shetland Isles in northern Scotland. Genetic diversity in this population is decreased compared to Mainland Scotland, consistent with the high levels of endogamy historically. 2105 participants were recruited between 2013 and 2015, most having at least three grandparents from Shetland. Fasting blood samples were collected and many health-related phenotypes and environmental exposures were measured in each individual. All participants gave informed consent and the study was approved by the South East Scotland Research Ethics Committee, NHS Lothian (reference: 12/SS/0151). Data Dictionary Please be advised that at this time there is no data dictionary available. We are working to get one ready to share. We will update this page as soon as it's finalised. Study Methodology Our Viking Health Study - Shetland protocol was combined with the ORCADES protocol in 2019 and approved by the REC. This was due to study similarity and to harmonise the permissions: Document ORCADES and Viking Health Study - Shetland Protocol (292.38 KB / PDF) ORCADES Image The Orkney Complex Disease Study (ORCADES) is a family-based study that seeks to identify genetic factors influencing cardiovascular and other disease risks in the isolated archipelago of the Orkney Isles in northern Scotland. Genetic diversity in this population is decreased compared to Mainland Scotland, consistent with the high levels of endogamy historically. 2078 participants aged 16-100 years were recruited between 2005 and 2011, most having three or four grandparents from Orkney, the remainder with two Orcadian grandparents. Fasting blood samples were collected and many health-related phenotypes and environmental exposures were measured in each individual. All participants gave written informed consent and the study was approved by Research Ethics Committees in Orkney, Aberdeen (North of Scotland REC), and South East Scotland REC, NHS Lothian (reference: 12/SS/0151). Data Dictionary Please be advised that at this time there is no data dictionary available. We are working to get one ready to share. We will update this page as soon as it's finalised. Study Methodology Our ORCADES protocol was combined with the Viking Health Study - Shetland protocol in 2019 and approved by the REC. This was due to study similarity and to harmonise the permissions : Document ORCADES and Viking Health Study - Shetland Protocol (292.38 KB / PDF) This article was published on 2024-01-25
