What's Viking Genes and what was involved?

Recruitment is closed, but you can still learn about Viking Genes and what volunteers had to do to take part.

Viking Genes is closed to new volunteers, but you can still learn about Viking Genes and what volunteers had to do to take part.

It's a study looking at the genetics and health of volunteers with at least 2 grandparents from the Hebrides, Orkney or Shetland.

We aim to better understand what might cause health conditions such as heart disease, eye disease, stroke, diabetes and others.

Please note: This is not an ancestry DNA test

Participants were asked to provide their consent, complete a questionnaire and give a sample of their saliva.

If you'd like any specific questions answered you can visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Or if you'd like a general overview, you can read our information sheets:

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Volunteer Information Sheet (909.11 KB / PDF)
Document
Return of Genetic Results (329.3 KB / PDF)

 

You can also take a look at the sorts of questions we asked by reading our sample questionnaire below:

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If you have any enquiries, you can email us at viking@ed.ac.uk Please be aware that, whilst this page and the questionnaire have been translated into Gaelic, no one on the Viking Genes team speaks Gaelic.

Below is a short overview of the process:

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Please contact viking@ed.ac.uk for a screen readable version