Inquiry into whether 'race science' group accessed genetic data

Concerns have been raised about access to a scientific repository of the genetic data and medical records of more than 500,000 people, after an investigation revealed that "race scientists" appeared to claim to have obtained the data.

- David Pegg Hannah Devlin Tom Burgis

UK Biobank holds the genetic data and medical records of more than 500,000 participants, which it shares in anonymized form with academics and researchers to support new scientific discoveries.

Last week the Guardian reported that a group called the Human Diversity Foundation, which carries out pseudoscientific research purporting to prove fundamental differences between races, had been covertly filmed discussing UK Biobank data.

Mainstream geneticists consider such research to be a racist pseudoscience. The footage was obtained by an undercover activist from the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate and shared with journalists.

On the day of the Guardian's publication, Biobank issued a statement criticizing the report and dismissing the findings. It said it had concluded what it called a "full" and "extensive" investigation that had found no evidence of misuse of UK Biobank data.

Biobank said it believed the group was discussing access to publicly available statistics that summarize the results of studies, rather than the anonymized data of volunteers.

However, in correspondence with a senior medic the following day, which has been seen by the Guardian, the Biobank chief executive, Prof Sir Rory Collins, said its inquiries were still continuing.