Cohort Profile: The Nagahama Prospective Genome Cohort for Comprehensive Human Bioscience (The Nagahama Study)
Kazuya Setoh, Fumihiko Matsuda
Abstract
The Nagahama Prospective Cohort for Comprehensive Human Bioscience is the first large-scale multipurpose genome cohort in Japan. The project started in 2007 with a new concept of “pre-primary prevention” aiming to realize personalized early disease prevention based on the genetic background of each individual, detailed measurement of biomolecules in the body and health-related clinical information over time together with the environment and lifestyle. The uniqueness of this human biology study is the multidisciplinary research infrastructure incorporating information science, mathematics, and social sciences. Cutting-edge technology in genomic medicine such as next-generation sequencing and multi-omics measurements is combined with an objective evaluation of environmental factors, records on sleep and other body activities, and the comprehensive social capital survey. Various research programmes have been launched on this information infrastructure, such as a skin aging study with industry and an association study between genetic factors and social and economic behaviour in collaboration with a governmental research institute. From 2020, a new socio-life science study for the COVID-19 pandemic consisting of SARS-CoV-2 antibody measurement and social capital surveys was initiated as a joint research effort of academia, government and industry.