ORIGINS, the largest longitudinal cohort study of its kind in Australia, delivered in partnership between The Kids Research Institute Australia and Joondalup Health Campus, has received $1.5 million funding from the Minderoo Foundation.
This three-year partnership will fund expert postdoctoral research positions to lead interventional studies and complex data analysis, translating ORIGINS’ core research into practical outcomes that support the health and wellbeing of children and families.
Dr Jackie Davis, Co-Director of ORIGINS, said the funding will be pivotal in enabling expert researchers to navigate and harness more than 400,000 biological samples from the ORIGINS Biobank and 30 million data points within its Data Catalogue to deliver meaningful research outcomes that improve the lives of Australian families.
“ORIGINS is following 10,000 WA families from pregnancy through early childhood, giving researchers access to one of the most comprehensive collections of data in the world, from annual childhood nutrition surveys to stool samples collected from birth to eight years of age,” Dr Davis said.
“Already, this information has led to important discoveries, such as finding that one in three WA one-year-olds are low in iron.”
“With support from the Minderoo Foundation, ORIGINS researchers will now be able to accelerate these discoveries, providing deeper insight into how the early environment shapes children’s health and development, from allergy risk through to mental wellbeing in the school years.”
ORIGINS is one of the few longitudinal studies worldwide to embed interventional research at its core, with more than 60 nested sub-projects actively translating research into real-world outcomes.
By focusing on prevention and early intervention, these projects are delivering tangible benefits for families in WA.
“By embedding interventional research at the heart of ORIGINS, our vision is to empower every child and family with the strongest start in life, creating healthier communities and shape lifelong flourishing for generations to come,” Dr Davis said.