--- title: 'Life Sciences Daily Summary: What Happened on October 11, 2026' headline: NHS Health Check nonattendance linked to higher health risks description: A Birmingham asthma project shortened waits for biologics, while a rapid COPD biomarker test is under study. url: https://thebench.bio/news/summaries/2026-10-11 topic: all date: '2026-10-11' covers: - '2026-10-11' date_published: '2026-10-11T12:02:09Z' date_modified: '2026-10-11T12:02:09Z' sources: 5 publisher: The Bench (thebench.bio) --- # Life Sciences Daily Summary: What Happened on October 11, 2026 **NHS Health Check nonattendance linked to higher health risks** A Birmingham asthma project shortened waits for biologics, while a rapid COPD biomarker test is under study. ## Today in brief Among 925,072 people eligible for NHS Health Checks, those who missed one had higher risks of death and a first nonfatal heart attack or stroke than attendees. [1] At University Hospitals Birmingham, biologic starts for severe asthma rose and average waits fell after the hospital and Sanofi jointly funded an administrator role. [2] ## Missed NHS Health Checks were associated with higher risks Imperial College London researchers analyzed NHS records from 2015 to 2025 for 925,072 people eligible for Health Checks in England. Forty-eight percent attended. [1] Compared with attendees, people who missed a check had a 31% higher risk of death from any cause and a 9% higher risk of a first nonfatal heart attack or stroke. [1] In North West London, 7,806 attendees were identified with high blood pressure within 30 days of a check, and 4,587 received a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. [1] Of those identified with high blood pressure, 55% had brought it down to healthy levels within six months, according to the report. [1] ## A Birmingham asthma project cut biologic treatment waits In a 12-month comparison before and after University Hospitals Birmingham and Sanofi introduced a jointly funded administrator role, biologic treatment starts for severe asthma rose from 51 to 174. [2] Average waits to start treatment fell from 196 days to 103 days over the same period. [2] The administrator managed the biologics database and helped coordinate care, prescriptions, and patients’ routes to treatment. [2] The service added a weekly biologic clinic. Five months after the administrator started, the Trust approved a business case to retain the role. [2] ## Also worth knowing - ProAxsis and Imperial College London are evaluating a rapid test for active neutrophil elastase during COPD exacerbations. Study results are expected in 2027. [3] - A roundup covered Google DeepMind’s method for tracing AI-designed proteins, studies of generated bacteriophages, and reports on possible gaps in biological AI safeguards. [4] - A cheminformatics roundup described models for identifying potential drug targets and predicting molecular properties beyond the compounds used to train them. [5] ## The day in numbers - **31%**: Higher risk of death from any cause among people who missed an NHS Health Check, compared with attendees. [1] - **196 to 103 days**: Change in average wait to start biologic treatment in the Birmingham severe-asthma service comparison. [2] - **2027**: Year ProAxsis and Imperial College London expect results from their COPD biomarker study. [3] ## Sources 1. [Fortysomethings’ non-attendance at NHS Health Checks raises concerns, says study](), Pharmafile, 2026-10-11 2. [Excellence in Healthcare Partnership Awards – A Collaborative Working Project Between Sanofi and The University Hospital Birmingham Severe Asthma Team](), Pharmafile, 2026-10-11 3. [How will biomarker-led diagnostics reshape respiratory medicine?](), Pharmafile, 2026-10-11 4. [Q3 2026 Briefing](), AIxBio Briefing, 2026-10-11 5. [This Week In Cheminformatics: Issue #042](), This Week in Cheminformatics, 2026-10-11 --- The Bench wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: [4]: [5]: