Generation Scotland

GS has created an ethically sound research resource to support medical research and identify the genetic basis of common complex diseases.

Scotland has a strong medical tradition that continues to the present day. Scotland trains proportionally more doctors and undertakes more biomedical research than the rest of the UK. Generation Scotland is building on this firm foundation to create a novel consortium-based approach to addressing Scotland's current and future health priorities. Key research areas will include cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental health and pharmacogenetics.

For more information about the ways in which Scotland leads the way in translational medicine and biomedical research, and how Generation Scotland fits into the bigger picture, click here.

Generation Scotland is a multi-institution, cross-disciplinary collaboration between all 5 Scottish University Medical Schools (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and St. Andrews); the MRC Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh; the MRC Social and Public Health Science Unit, Glasgow; the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, Edinburgh; the National e-Science Centre, Edinburgh and Glasgow; the Scottish School of Primary Care, representing all of the academic Departments of Primary Care in Scotland; and the Information Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland, which has both a public health planning and academic research function (see links). Generation Scotland is also collaborating with UK Biobank.

The aim of Generation Scotland is to create an ethically sound, family- and population-based infrastructure to identify the genetic basis of common complex diseases. The Generation Scotland concept has been evolving for several years, and now involves three complementary projects, the Scottish Family Health Study (GS: SFHS), Genetic Health in the 21st Century (GS: 21CGH) and the Donor DNA Databank (GS: 3D). Together these projects will recruit a cohort of 25, 000 individuals.

Generation Scotland is establishing multi-disciplinary skills networks in genetic epidemiology, statistical genetics and health informatics. Social scientists have been involved from the start, conducting a public consultation process and addressing ethical, legal and social issues. The output from these projects will be of value to the biomedical, sociomedicolegal, healthcare and bioindustry sectors.