The EPIC-Norfolk Study

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Aim: To rapidly identify and validate proteomic prediction models for a broad range of diseases.
This proposal brings together population health, data and molecular science to apply proteomics to existing, stored samples from the prospective EPIC-Norfolk cohort, capitalising on the opportunities it provides for efficient design of nested case-cohort studies. The aim is to rapidly realise the potential of proteomic technology for early blood-based prediction of common as well as less frequent diseases.
We have recently demonstrated that integrating genomics and other blood omics, such as proteomics and metabolomics, can provide unprecedented insights into the aetiological commonality and differences between hundreds of diseases (Pietzner, et al. Science 2021, Pietzner et al. Nat Comms 2020 & 2021, Lotta et al. Nat Gen 2021, Pietzner et al. Nat Med 2021). Despite the potential of affinity-based proteomic technologies for disease prediction (Zanini et al. Curr Diab Rep. 2020, Williams et al. Nat Med 2019), the absence of specific proteomic measurements in prospective cohort studies with sufficient numbers of clinical outcomes has limited progress in testing their predictive utility. Our proposal builds on a successful pilot study using affinity-based proteomics (Olink Explore 1536) and will rapidly deliver high-quality data by March 2022 in a cost-efficient design that add substantial value for the prediction of a range of serious diseases.