Our Story So Far:

The planning for the BIS started in 2008-2009. The idea was to conduct a study that would generate new knowledge on how to give kids the best start to life; and so BIS was born!

We concluded the three year recruitment phase in June 2013, and the last of the babies was born in December 2013, giving us the final cohort of 1074 infants.

BIS has come a long way, with our participants now in primary school!

 

Thank you to all the families that have already contributed. Without the support of BIS families, this world-class project would not be possible.

We have been awarded three separate National Health and Medical Research (NHMRC) Project grants to conduct the BIS Primary School Review. These awards cover the immune, respiratory, neurodevelopmental and cardiovascular components of the project.

Each family is a vital part of a project that is genuinely important. We will do our best to honour your contribution by continuing to make discoveries that improve the health of our children.

We have now commenced the BIS Primary School Review. With help from the Gandel Foundation and Jayco, we have built a mobile laboratory – the BIS Bus. We will be seeking permission from BIS families and local primaries to review the kids at school, which will substantially reduce the participation burden placed on parents.

We will be in touch with BIS families regarding the Primary School review over the coming 2 years.

Thanks to all the Barwon families, we have been gathering information and biosamples that could help not only Australian children, but children and families from all over the world.

Each and every participant is important, and every question answered for us, and every sample donated, adds a piece to the puzzle.

We love watching the BIS children grow, and catching up on all your news and milestones in between catch ups. The efforts of our BIS families are hugely appreciated. Thank you for letting us be a part of your journey.

 So far we have:

  • Over 1000 participants
  • Asked over 200,000 questions
  • Stored over 100,000 biological samples
  • Taken over 10,000 measurements
  • Published a number of important scientific papers

 Recent Publications: