Do you have 2 or more grandparents from Orkney or Shetland?
If the answer is yes then join VIKING II, the fastest growing Viking genetics study in the UK, led by Prof. Jim Flett Wilson, University of Edinburgh.
The research teams behind Orkney Complex Disease Study (ORCADES) and the VIKING Health Study – Shetland (VIKING) are the team supporting the new study. They’re based at the University of Edinburgh, at the MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine and the Usher Institute.
In April 2018, it was announced that The MRC Human Genetics Unit received a £53 million funding boost from the Medical Research Council (MRC), supporting research for the next 5 years. They’re pleased to confirm that the ORCADES and the VIKING teams received part of this funding, so that we may continue developing our understanding of common, complex diseases.
They’re now recruiting more volunteers from Orkney and Shetland, and merging aspects of the ORCADES study with VIKING. The aim is to recruit a further 4,000 participants with ancestry (two or more grandparents) from Orkney or the Shetland Isles.
People with at least two Northern Isles grandparents needed for genetics study
The team believes the “unique genetic identity” of those with Northern Isles ancestry offers a “rare opportunity” to give a detailed picture on how genes are implicated in health.
The new “VIKING II” recruitment will take the total number of participants to 8,000, which will enable us to further develop our research into important diseases such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease, kidney disease and more.
Those taking part in the University of Edinburgh study-led Viking II project will complete an online questionnaire about their health and lifestyle.
They will also provide a saliva sample.
The team said, “we’d like to thank those who participated in previous studies and hope to see more of you become involved with our research!”
The study is not limited to those who currently live in Orkney or Shetland, as many descendants have dispersed around the world.
There are believed to be significant numbers of people of Northern Isles descent living in areas such as Saskatchewan in Canada, Chicago in America, and Dunedin in New Zealand.
For those living in the UK who volunteer to be part of the study, they can choose to have information on limited genetic results returned to them through the NHS.
The study is being backed by the Medical Research Council.
If you’d like to learn more about VIKING II you can read about it in the link below:
If you’re not yet part of one of the studies and believe you’re eligible for this study, you can register using the online form: