Jim Reed

Scientists say they can study our bodies as we age in greater detail than ever before, thanks to more than a billion scans of UK volunteers.

The world’s biggest human imaging project says it has now hit its target of scanning the brains, hearts and other organs of 100,000 people – the culmination of an ambitious 11-year study.

“Researchers are already starting to use the imaging data, along with other data we have, to identify disease early and then target treatment at an earlier stage,” says Prof Naomi Allen, chief scientist at UK Biobank.

The data is made available at low cost to teams around the world to find new ways of preventing common health conditions from heart disease to cancer.