By Luke Voogt
An “Australia-first” infant study set to create 100 jobs and potentially attract 150,000 participants from across Victoria has begun at University Hospital Geelong.
The Generation Victoria (GenV) project will become “one of the world’s largest-ever birth and parent cohort studies”, according to Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI).
The institute and Barwon Health this week announced they had begun inviting Victorian parents and their newborns to take part in the project.
Barwon Health research director Peter Vuillermin described GenV as a once-in-a-generation study.
“[It] will create an internationally-unique resource for understanding the genetic and environmental factors that give kids a healthy start to life,” Professor Vuillermin said.
MCRI plans to scale up GenV in mid-2021 to partner with all Victorian birthing hospitals.
The project will give Victoria’s research community access to a more complete picture of the health and wellbeing of a generation, according to the institute.
The opt-in project will follow babies and their parents to help solve problems like asthma, food allergies, obesity and mental illness – mostly using data that is already routinely collected.
GenV will create about 100 new jobs in clinical settings across the state over the life of the project, according to MCRI.
GenV scientific director and paediatrician of 30 years, Melissa Wake, said the project aimed to create a healthier future for children and parents by 2035.
“In addition, we are seeking to address the inequities that face so many children and families across Victoria,” Professor Wake said.
“Over the next two years, around 150,000 children born in Victoria and their parents will have the opportunity to participate in the project.
“Put simply, by signing up to be a part of the GenV generation, parents will help to create a healthier future for all children and their families.”
The project follows the Barwon Infant Study of more than 1000 local babies and their families, which has been running out of Geelong since 2010.
Details: genv.org.au
