Welcome
The Big Data Institute (BDI) is an interdisciplinary research institute that focuses on the analysis of large, complex, heterogeneous data sets for research into the causes and consequences, prevention and treatment of disease. BDI researchers develop, evaluate and deploy efficient methods for acquiring and analysing information for large clinical research studies. These approaches are invaluable in identifying the associations between lifestyle exposures, genetic variants, infections and health outcomes around the globe. The BDI is part of the Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery at the University of Oxford's Old Road Campus.
News
Any level of alcohol consumption increases risk of dementia
24 September 2025
Any amount of alcohol consumption may increase risk of dementia, according to the most comprehensive study of alcohol consumption and dementia risk to date.
CanPath awarded $3m to study crises in a changing world
23 September 2025
The Government of Canada has invested in a research platform to track the next pandemic, study the effects of climate change on health, and help explain rising cancer rates in young people.
First direct evidence links gene to fat storage, hinting at new obesity therapies
4 September 2025
A new study, involving researchers at the Big Data Institute, has shown for the first time that a little-known gene, SLTM, plays a direct role in how fat is stored inside human cells. While large population studies had previously linked rare variants in SLTM to higher body mass index (BMI), its function at a cellular level was unknown until now.