Quality control and removal of technical variation of NMR metabolic biomarker data in ~120,000 UK Biobank participants

Metabolic biomarker data quantified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in approximately 121,000 UK Biobank participants has recently been released as a community resource, comprising absolute concentrations and ratios of 249 circulating metabolites, lipids, and lipoprotein sub-fractions. Here we identify and characterise additional sources of unwanted technical variation influencing individual biomarkers in the data available to download from UK Biobank. These included sample preparation time, shipping plate well, spectrometer batch effects, drift over time within spectrometer, and outlier shipping plates. We developed a procedure for removing this unwanted technical variation, and demonstrate…

• DE
  Dell EMC
• SG
  Scottish Government
• NI
  National Institute for Health and Care Research

  Awards: BTRU-2014-10024, BRC-1215-20014, NIHR BTRU-2014-10024
• BH
  British Heart Foundation

  Awards: RG/13/13/30194; RG/18/13/33946, RG/18/13/33946, RG/13/13/30194
• DO
  Department of Health and Social Care
• UO
  University of Cambridge

  Award: BRC-1215-20014
• PH
  Public Health Agency
• CS
  Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate
• CI
  Canadian Institutes of Health Research

  Award: MFE-171279
• MR
  Medical Research Council

  Awards: RG/13/13/30194, MR/S003746/1, MR/S003746/1, BRC-1215-20014
• EA
  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

  Awards: EP/ P020259/1, EP/P020259/1
• EA
  Economic and Social Research Council

  Award: ES/T013192/1
• SA
  Science and Technology Facilities Council
• HA
  Health and Social Care Research and Development Division
• NC
  NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre

  Award: BRC-1215-20014