Our History

History

Our History

Founded in 1992 by Professor Tim Spector at King’s College London, TwinsUK began with a singular mission: to investigate the genetic and environmental factors contributing to osteoporosis and other rheumatologic diseases using a unique cohort of monozygotic (identical) twins. Over the past three decades, TwinsUK has grown into the UK’s largest and most clinically detailed adult twin registry, now encompassing over 16,000 twins—both identical and non-identical—ranging in age from 18 to 104 years.

Initially focused on a few hundred twins, our cohort has expanded to include more than 15,000 participants from across the UK, creating an unparalleled resource for researchers worldwide. Our research has evolved to address a wide range of conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, ageing, mental health, and microbiome studies, providing a comprehensive view of human health and disease.

TwinsUK has become one of the most deeply characterised twin cohorts in the world. Over the years, we have facilitated over 1,000 collaborations, shared more than 250,000 biological samples, and contributed to over 800 scientific publications since 2012 alone. Our biobank stores over 700,000 biological samples, with data collected at multiple time points through repeat clinical visits, questionnaires, and linked medical records. Each participant’s data has generated billions of data points, including rich phenotypic, genetic, and omic datasets

Our commitment to sharing and expanding scientific knowledge is at the core of TwinsUK. Collaborators are encouraged to return derived datasets to continuously enhance this invaluable resource, driving new discoveries in health, ageing, and genetics.

TwinsUK is proud to be a globally recognised platform for longitudinal health research, offering unique insights into the interplay of genetics, environment, and lifestyle in shaping our health over time.

Why Twins?

Twins are ideal participants for health research due to their shared DNA:

  • Identical twins share 100% of their DNA
  • Non-identical twins share 50% of their DNA

By comparing identical and non-identical twins, we can explore the roles of genetics and the environment—often referred to as ‘nature and nurture’—in health and ageing. Studying twins over time offers unique insights into how internal and external factors shape our ageing process and overall health.

What We Do

Since its inception, TwinsUK has collected a wide range of data, including:

  • Genomic, health, lifestyle, and environmental data.
  • Biological samples such as blood and stool, gathered at multiple time points.

This wealth of data enables researchers to track changes in health and ageing over time.

Our Impact

Our twin participants are invaluable to advancing health research. By using data from TwinsUK and collaborating with other large population studies across the UK, our researchers produce groundbreaking work that has the potential to generate tangible benefits for patients and the general public around the world.