Understanding the patterns and determinants of health in South Asian people - South Asia Biobank.

This project is done in collaboration with Imperial College, London UK and represents a collaboration between academic and clinical experts in NCD prevention and control from leading institutions in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. With initial 4 year funding from the UK National Institutes for Health Research, we will pursue a program of translational research in South Asian that aims to:

1. Strengthen NCD surveillance systems in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, by establishing a network of >200 surveillance sites across these South Asian countries.

2. Using standardised approaches, complete structured assessments on a representative sample of ~160,000 South Asian men and women aged 18+ years, living at the >200 surveillance sites. Collect and store biological samples for epidemiological purposes.

3. In addition use a subset of the surveillance sites as Health observatories for evaluation of healthcare interventions targeted at improving prevention and control of T2D and CVD in South Asia.

4.Thereby provide the first robust, nationally representative data on the burden of T2D, CVD and their risk factors, and on the quality of care for these major NCDs to quantify needs, in South Asian populations.

5.Disseminate the data to relevant stakeholders, include health service providers and policy makers to inform resource allocation and health system priorities. In addition, use the clinical data and biological samples collected, to pursue epidemiological research into aetiological mechanisms underlying the increased risk of T2D and CVD in South Asians.