Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology
The Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology (DTR) encompasses the biggest UK adult twin registry of 11,000 twins used to study the genetic and environmental aetiology of age related complex traits and diseases.
The DTR has been one of the major departments of King’s College London Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine since 2006 with a team of over 40 staff.
The Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology was set up by Professor Tim Spector, Consultant Rheumatologist in 1992 at St Thomas’ Hospital mainly via grants from The Wellcome Trust and Arthritis Research Campaign among others. Its main focus at the time was to look at the incidence of Osteoporosis and Rheumatological disease in several hundred monozygotic (identical) twins. Since then the Department of Twin Research has expanded in areas of research as well as in the number of twins. We now have a voluntary database of 12,000 identical and non-identical, mostly female, twins from across the UK between the ages of 16 and 98 years – with a mean age of 48. It is now the UK’s only adult twin registry and is the most detailed clinical adult register in the world.
The Department of Twin Research has an international track record of research into the genetics of complex diseases with a particular focus on age-related diseases. Its current main focus is the genetics of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, the musculoskeletal system and ageing as well as research into sight and miscellaneous areas such as skin disease, immunology, gastroenterology and behaviour.
The Department has published over 400 research papers based on data collection from the twins and has collaborations with over 60 groups worldwide. The database has extensive data on a range of phenotypes from twins who have attended the Department over the last 15 years.
The main funding bodies supporting the department are the Wellcome Trust, Arthritis Research Campaign, the European Union, and the British Heart Foundation.
In 2006 the Twin Research Unit became the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, part of King’s College London Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine. The team now comprises over 45 staff.