New milestones for the ORIGINS Project at Joondalup
ORIGINS researchers and staff volunteering in the phone room at Telethon
The Ramsay Way 2018 | 04 13
HOSPITAL NEWS
At Telethon this time last year, Paul Ramsay Foundation and the Federal
Government announced a commitment of $26 million to the ORIGINS Project,
a unique project being run by Joondalup Health Campus and the Telethon
Kids Institute.
It is one of the largest studies of its kind in Australia, following 10,000 families over the next
decade to improve child and adult health.
A year on – with a record $38 million being raised at this year’s Telethon to help sick kids –
The ORIGINS Project is hitting exciting milestones.
In the past year, the project has recruited 1,500 families – with almost 1,000 ORIGINS babies
born and nearly 100 ORIGINS babies celebrating their first birthday.
With samples and information being collected from mothers, fathers and their babies, the project
is collecting one of the largest sets of data in Australia that is gaining attention from researchers
around the world.
The project has now launched several sub-studies around the influence of testosterone in
language development, prebiotic supplements during pregnancy to prevent allergic disease and
how lifestyle intervention in early pregnancy can help reduce childhood obesity.
It is also taking a unique look at the genetics and lifestyle of expectant fads and the important
role that can play in their child’s health.
Unlike many cohort studies that have come before, the project is providing real time intervention
for detected conditions which is proving an invaluable benefit to ORIGINS families.
Co-Director of ORIGINS Professor Desiree Silva – who is also Head of Paediatrics at Joondalup
Health Campus – says the Paul Ramsay Foundation’s funding has been central to the
project’s success.
“The funding from the Paul Ramsay Foundation is critically important to the work of The ORIGINS
Project, and enables our researchers to continue to do all we can to give children a healthy start
for a better future,” said Professor Silva.
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