ALSPAC - looking forward
Nic Timpson commenting on the exciting future plans for the next 5-10 years of the study.
ALSPAC is funded by the Medical Research Council, Wellcome and the University of Bristol. The study is an established research platform with a rich collection of data and samples, established record linkages. It is also an active, efficient and connected research infrastructure available for new and exciting research.
We have been preparing for the next five years of study activity (mid-2024 to mid-2029) – working with our participants, our team, our funders, the University of Bristol and research collaborators to design next steps. Thanks for all the super contributions, they have helped us design next steps and reminded us of the huge breadth in demand for ALSPAC as a resource.
The next stages of ALSPAC are really exciting. Not only do we have an opportunity to extend the life-long collection of data and biological samples on participants, but they are going through fascinating times. Changes in lifestyle, work, families, the arrival of children and all in specific era conditions.
In the summer of 2024, our latest @30 data and sample collection sweep on our index participants – the original “Children of the 90s”, their parents and children will close. This is just the next stage for ALSPAC and from mid-2024 onwards we are aiming to collect data on all our participants using remote methods, a focused and multi-modal approach for face-to-face sessions and connection to administrative/record-based data.
We will continue to work with the ALSPAC Board, Independent Scientific Advisory Board as well as the ALSPAC Participant and Public Advisory Panel (APPAP) and research community to make the most of this next step.
The more science is conducted, the more valuable the resource is. If you have a research question you think we can help with please don't hesitate to get in touch, either by emailing ALSPAC's Principal Investigator, Professor Nic Timpson (n.j.timpson@bristol.ac.uk), or by checking the main ALSPAC Contacts page.
Just some of the recent fascinating and impactful findings from ALSPAC can be seen in the table below:
Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the table to see the full detail
| Research area | Output | Impact |
|---|---|---|
|
Genetic of adiposity (MC4R) |
Wade et al. Loss-of-function mutations in the melanocortin 4 receptor in a UK birth cohort. Nature Med 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01349-y |
Functional characterisation nonsynonymous MC4R variants and association with anthropometric phenotypes from childhood to early adulthood. Referred to in Loos & Yeo Nat Rev Gen 2022 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-021-00414-z, explanatory blog (www.mrl.ims.cam.ac.uk/blog/the-long-story-on-mc3r-regulation-of-growth-and-age-at-puberty-how-we-did-it/) and www.mc4r.org.uk. ALSPAC discovery video: www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/participants/discoveries/body-weight/ |
|
Liver health and disease |
Abeysekera et al. Prevalence of steatosis and fibrosis in young adults in the UK. Lancet Gastro Hep 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(19)30419-4 |
European Association for the Study of the Liver guidelines on use of non-invasive tests: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34166721/. Initiating “Special Interest Group in Early Detection of Liver Disease” – outputs https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(22)00020-6 and http://doi.org/10.1136/flgastro-2021-101833. ALSPAC discovery video: www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/participants/discoveries/liver-disease-obesity/ |
|
Internet use and suicide |
Mars et al. Exposure to, and searching for, information about suicide and self-harm on the Internet. J Affect Disord 2015. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.06.001 |
All Party Parliamentary Groups on suicide and social media and young people’s mental mealth, House of Commons Health Select Committee on Suicide Prevention https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmhealth/1087/1087.pdf and a Royal College of Psychiatrist Patient Safety report and reviews of industry practice. ALSPAC discovery video: www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/participants/discoveries/mental-health-and-internet/ |
|
COVID-19 response |
SAGE report July 2021 www.gov.uk/government/publications/ons-short-report-on-long-covid-22-july-2021 |
One of a large number of reports, papers and cabinet briefings during the pandemic. Others included grandparenting and mental health and for the National Core Studies are listed with cross-study outputs www.ucl.ac.uk/covid-19-longitudinal-health-wellbeing/research-outputs. ALSPAC discovery video: www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/participants/discoveries/understanding-long-covid/ |
|
Eating behaviour |
Taylor et al. Growth and body composition in children who are picky eaters: a longitudinal view. Eur J Clin Nutr 2019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-018-0250-7 |
Outreach around this work has included public dissemination through a UK Channel 4 documentary (Food Unwrapped Investigates – Episode 4, Nov 2020. Channel 4 online). ALSPAC discovery video: www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/participants/discoveries/picky-eating/ |
| Record linkage and federation (UK LLC) | Green et al. Associations between self-reported healthcare disruption due to COVID-19 and avoidable hospital admission. BMJ 2023. http://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-075133 |
UKRI supported the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration initiated by ALSPAC linkage lead and collaborators at the University of Edinburgh. Described in Brophy et al. Int J Pop Data Sci, 8 2023 (https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v8i4.2169) ALSPAC discovery video: www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/participants/discoveries/covid-pop-science/ |
Get in touch!
If you have a research question, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Email ALSPAC's Principal Investigator, Professor Nic Timpson (n.j.timpson@bristol.ac.uk), or see the ALSPAC contacts page.
Our Discovery Day!
Hundreds of Children of the 90s participants from across Bristol and Weston-super-Mare visited the M Shed to learn directly from the researchers behind our world renowned study.
The Discovery Day event on Saturday 14 October 2023, which marked the study reaching its third decade, welcomed all three generations to share study findings and hear from participants about their experiences of taking part and what it means to them.
Watch our researcher talks.
Visit the Discovery Day online image gallery.
The work you [ALSPAC] are doing across generations is unique and will be very valuable for sure. The fact that the UK has these great longitudinal studies and that we can harness them now for understanding the impacts of a new disease is something that will help inform the world. Thanks so much to you and your team … I appreciate the quality, speed and breadth of what you are doing. I know other [sic] feel the same and I have received many glowing reports.
Hear from researchers talking about their experience of ALSPAC at our recent researcher workshops