By Molly Magennis
A Maribyrnong mother and son have joined Australia’s largest child and parent research project, which has officially reached the milestone of 10,000 participating babies.
Christine Wong joined the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s Generation Victoria (GenV) project with her son Lorenzo, who was born in January this year.
Having both a career in healthcare and older children who have experienced issues with eczema, asthma and anaphylaxis, Ms Wong agreed to take part in the study to help improve the detection and treatment of future health care for families like hers.
GenV will eventually track up to 150,000 children across Victoria over the next two years in a bid to map the health of an entire generation, looking for early warning signs for complex health issues like asthma, food allergies, obesity and mental illness.
It’s hoped that the study will also be able to pinpoint critical links between environment, genetics, physical characteristics and developmental milestones.
On February 11, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy Jaala Pulford welcomed the Royal Women’s Hospital as the latest hospital to join the project.
The hospital has joined 22 other metro hospitals and 33 regional hospitals across the state as the project increases to be available to all newborns and their parents.
Among the participants so far are more than 100 families with twins or multiple births, and 59 different languages, including Australian Sign Language.
Ms Pulford said thanks to these participating babies and families, future generations of Victorians can expect better healthcare and treatments.
“This research has never been more important in providing a complete picture of the impacts of COVID-19 on pregnancies, babies and children,” she said.
Ms Wong said: “While we are blessed that our children are healthy overall, we wanted to be part of the program knowing we are part of a bigger healthcare picture that can benefit all Victorian children and families.”
