SYMBA study boosted by WA Child Research Fund

The SYMBA Study, was the first sub-project to be nested within The ORIGINS Project and has involved 652 women and their babies here in Western Australia.

The SYMBA team is led by Dr Debbie Palmer, Head of Childhood Allergy and Immunology Research at Telethon Kids Institute through the Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia.

Since 2016, they have been investigating whether maternal prebiotic fibre dietary supplementation, from mid-pregnancy to six months’ post-birth, will reduce the risk of child allergic disease development.

To date, Dr Palmer and her researchers have successfully followed-up the children until one-year of age, to assess eczema and food allergy development. The grant will allow the team to also evaluate the children at 5 years of age, to continue to assess the prebiotic’s impact on eczema and food allergy outcomes, as well as asthma and hay fever.

“We’re pleased we can extend this vital research with our SYMBA families,” Dr Palmer said. “We can learn so much from looking at the longer-term impacts of our interventions.”

The WA Child Research Fund grants, jointly established by the Department of Health and the Channel 7 Telethon Trust, provide funding to support health and medical research for children and adolescents in WA.

Eleven WA research projects will share in the $6.14million funding, with eight of those 11 projects being led by Telethon Kids researchers.

The SYMBA Study is also supported by ORIGINS Co-Directors Professor Susan Prescott and Professor Desiree Silva.

Congratulations to Dr Palmer and her team

Read about all the Telethon Kids projects receiving funding here

Read the State Government announcement here