Available Data and Biological Samples

The ORIGINS Project incorporates a strong emphasis on sustainability and the project is building a large repository of biological and lifestyle data not otherwise available to researchers in Australia.

The samples and derived data from future ‘omics analyses are likely to be one of the largest collections in Australia. Our data platform is receiving national and international interest.

Data drives discovery

Pregnant women (and the father of their baby and/or partner) are recruited with informed consent early in their pregnancy to collect detailed environmental and psychosocial data using questionnaire data, medical records, diagnostic tools and biological samples.

The data forms the ORIGINS research platform (biobank and databank) which is available to researchers, to assess how these early life exposures influence a child’s growth, development and health (including neurodevelopment, evidence of allergies, infections, and other medical and mental health conditions).

The aim is to recruit 4,000 ‘Active’ participants, undertaking deep sampling at specific time points, and 6,000 ‘Non-Active’ participants that includes all routinely collected hospital data, opportunistic samples and linkage to government and non-government databases.

Please note: Cohort compliance with sample and data collection protocol is not guaranteed and the volume of available data does not directly correlate with participant numbers. Please contact the ORIGINS Research and Translation team for information on availability of data and samples suitable to your research.

The ORIGINS Biobank

The ORIGINS Biobank is collecting biological samples from participant families at 10 timepoints between the time of pregnancy and the child turning five years of age. An outline of participant collection timepoints and biological samples that are stored in the biobank, and available to researchers, is shown below.

"The ORIGINS Project Biobank: A Collaborative Bio Resource for Investigating the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease" has been published in Int Journal of Enviro Research and Public Health (Jul 2023). https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/13/6297

Find out more about the Biobank

---

The ORIGINS Databank

ORIGINS is collecting physiological, biological and clinical data from the mother, partner/father and child at numerous points to track development and change. An outline of participant collection timepoints and information stored in the databank and are available to researchers is below. 

Find out more about the Databank

ORIGINS Fee Schedule 

As an approved ORIGINS sub-project, researchers will need to pay cost recovery fees for activities including;

• recruiting ORIGINS participants to be part of your sub-project, and
• obtaining ORIGINS biological samples and/or data.

ORIGINS recognises that each sub-project is unique, and we are able to negotiate fees, dependant on contributions re-invested into ORIGINS by the sub-project and funding availability. Student projects will also receive special consideration.

Find out more about ORIGINS' Standard Fees

Review and download our Research Proposal Form

---