What do we mean by ‘enhancing cohorts’?

A ‘cohort’ is a group of people who have one or more defined ‘trait’ in common – eg males over 60 who have had a heart attack. By linking these cohorts to other types of health data, such as a person’s medical record, this will improve (‘enhance’) our understanding of what causes particular diseases of the heart and circulation, as well as personalising strategies to prevent and treat disease.

What are we doing?

We want to have a better understanding of what causes disease in specific cohorts, and combine this knowledge with other types of health information. This coordinated approach will increase our understanding of what causes disease, and what makes disease progress. This will help us to understand more about which treatments and approaches will work best in different types of patients, which is known as ‘personalised medicine’.