Search
Research
The Impact of Obesity on Influenza Vaccine Immunogenicity and Antibody Transfer to the Infant During PregnancyInfluenza vaccination is recommended for pregnant women, offering the dual benefit of protecting pregnant women and their newborn infants against influenza. This study aimed to investigate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on influenza vaccine responses in pregnant women and their newborns.

News & Events
Embrace 2024 Big Idea winner announcedA project that aims to understand and support the mental health of Australians with complex gender-affirmation experiences has received the $150,000 Embrace Big Idea Grant for 2024.
Research
Specific IgA, but Not IgG, in Human Milk from COVID-19-Infected Mothers Neutralizes SARS-CoV-2This study highlights the importance of human milk in providing anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 immunity to newborns. The highest protective activity of human milk against COVID-19 was found in colostrum from infected mothers.
Research
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men: A discussion to be hadFetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a lifelong disability of varying severity that occurs among individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol. Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians, the effects of colonisation and ongoing racism could increase the risk of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

News & Events
Raine Foundation grants to support key child health researchThree outstanding young researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia have been named Raine Fellows and received valuable Raine Priming Grants to support their child health research.
Research
Altered dietary behaviour during pregnancy impacts systemic metabolic phenotypesEvidence suggests consumption of a Mediterranean diet (MD) can positively impact both maternal and offspring health, potentially mediated by a beneficial effect on inflammatory pathways. We aimed to apply metabolic profiling of serum and urine samples to assess differences between women who were stratified into high and low alignment to a MD throughout pregnancy and investigate the relationship of the diet to inflammatory markers.
Research
Interpregnancy interval and adverse birth outcomes: a population-based cohort study of twinsTo investigate associations between interpregnancy intervals (IPIs) and adverse birth outcomes in twin pregnancies.

News & Events
Urgent need to reduce preventable deaths in Aboriginal MumsA study by researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia has found Aboriginal mothers are at a significantly greater risk of preventable death than other Australia

News & Events
Urgent need to reduce preventable deaths in Aboriginal MumsA study by researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia has found Aboriginal mothers are at a significantly greater risk of preventable death than other Australia
Research
Perinatal psychiatric emergencies in rural Australia: In urgent need of attentionThe burden of perinatal mental illness is a significant global concern, affecting approximately 10–20% of women at this stage of life. It is well recognised that Rural Australia has far less health services and mental health specialists per capita than metropolitan regions.
Research
The Social and Emotional Well-being of Indigenous Peoples Living With Diabetes: A Systematic Review ProtocolGlobally, Indigenous people have a greater incidence and earlier onset of diabetes than the general population and have higher documented rates of emotional distress and mental illness. This systematic review will provide a synthesis and critical appraisal of the evidence focused on the social and emotional well-being of Indigenous peoples living with diabetes, including prevalence, impact, moderators, and the efficacy of interventions.
Research
Autism likelihood in infants born to mothers with asthma is associated with blood inflammatory gene biomarkers in pregnancyMothers with asthma or atopy have a higher likelihood of having autistic children, with maternal immune activation in pregnancy implicated as a mechanism. This study aimed to determine, in a prospective cohort of mothers with asthma and their infants, whether inflammatory gene expression in pregnancy is associated with likelihood of future autism.
Research
The Truth Of Our Stories: A mixed method evaluation of Elder and community-led cultural training for out-of-home care agency workers and non-Indigenous foster carers in AustraliaGlobally, Indigenous peoples have incurred significant harm due to colonisation of their lands. Dispossession of culture, language, family and land, and the historical, systematic removal of children in Australia (the ‘Stolen Generation’), has resulted in evident ongoing negative outcomes in the contemporary lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Research
Per Os to Protection – Targeting the Oral Route to Enhance Immune-mediated Protection from Disease of the Human NewbornValerie Verhasselt MD, PhD Head, Immunology and Breastfeeding 0402997617 Valerie.verhasselt@thekids.org.au Head, Immunology and Breastfeeding @
Research
Neonatal bacterial sepsisNeonatal sepsis remains one of the key challenges of neonatal medicine, and together with preterm birth, causes almost 50% of all deaths globally for children younger than 5 years. Compared with advances achieved for other serious neonatal and early childhood conditions globally, progress in reducing neonatal sepsis has been much slower, especially in low-resource settings that have the highest burden of neonatal sepsis morbidity and mortality.