ORIGINS Co-Director, Professor Desiree Silva, featured in last nights episode of Four Corners in a national conversation about the rise in cancers diagnoses amongst younger adults.
Data provided to Four Corners by Cancer Australia found that - in 30- to 39-year-olds – diagnoses of prostate, pancreatic, liver, uterine and kidney cancer had risen significantly between 2000 and 2024.
During the episode’s exploration of how well Australia is positioned to determine why early-onset cancer diagnoses are on the rise, ORIGINS was approached to talk about the benefits of longitudinal cohort studies in uncovering how the early environment may influence the development of chronic disease.
ORIGINS is uniquely positioned to determine the causal pathways of chronic disease through its rich collection of biological samples and data from 10,000 Western Australian families in the City of Joondalup and City of Wanneroo.
To date, ORIGINS has collected over 400,000 biological samples and more than 16 million data points, capturing information ranging from children’s diets to parental mental health.
As one of WA’s most comprehensive longitudinal data reservoirs, with an established cohort and robust infrastructure for data collection and biological sampling, ORIGINS is enabling researchers to track early-life environmental exposures - such as sun exposure, diet, and physical activity - alongside biological samples, to uncover the factors that may influence the development of non-communicable diseases, like cancer, later in life.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Please direct any media enquiries regarding the story above to the below:
Jessica Powell
Communications Officer
Phone: 0421 785 905 (mobile)
Email: jess.powell@thekids.org.au
About ORIGINS
Local Research. Global Impact.
ORIGINS is the largest study of its kind in Australia, following 10,000 women, their babies, partners, and siblings, from early life into early childhood through a series of biological samples, face-to-face appointments, and online questionnaires.
It's goal? To reduce the rising epidemic of non-communicable diseases through a ‘healthy start to life’.
The unique interventional long-term study is one of the most comprehensive studies of pregnant women and their families in Australia, with participants made up of families who received pregnancy care and/or delivered their baby at Joondalup Health Campus, as well as families from the Joondalup and Wanneroo communities.
The research platform is headed by Co-Directors Professor Desiree Silva and Dr Jackie Davis.