The flagship Busselton Family Heart Study aims to identify rare genetic variant risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) by studying clinical and biochemical data (including the lipidome) from large, densely affected families in combination with whole genome sequencing.

The project aims to identify specific heritable genetic differences between individuals that put us at greater risk of cardiovascular disease. The identification of causal genetic risk variants may help in early identification of at-risk individuals, and facilitate the development of new strategies to treat and prevent CVD.

Contact research team leader Professor Eric Moses.

Mammographic density (a measure of denser tissue types in the breast, which appear as the white area in a mammogram) is highly heritable and is one of the strongest predictors of breast cancer risk, second only to carrying a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.

Dr Jennifer Stone leads a number of mammographic density projects at UWA, including an investigation of mammographic density in Australian Aboriginal women, and a pilot study into breast density among young women which uses a new scanning device called Transillumination Breast Spectroscopy (TiBS) instead of mammograms.

Contact research team leader Dr Jennifer Stone.

In collaboration with the UWA Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry, we are conducting a major genome-wide study of individuals and families from the long-running Western Australian Family Study of Schizophrenia (WAFSS) to identify genetic risk variants for schizophrenia.

Dr Nina McCarthy

Professor Eric Moses

Professor Assen Jablensky (CCRN)

Stratified screening for cancer is a radical new population approach to cancer prevention, which has the potential to transform healthcare through earlier diagnosis and more effective prevention.

In collaboration with researchers from the UWA School of Population and Global Health and Curtin University, we aim to collate epidemiological data on genomic and lifestyle risk factors to identify individuals at higher risk of cancer who will benefit from early detection and earlier interventions.

Contact research team leader Professor Eric Moses for more information.

Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, with approximately five percent of all pregnancies affected.

Our earlier research has provided compelling empirical evidence of shared genetic risk for preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease. We are continuing to explore genetic data to identify risk factors for preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease, which will provide insight into the cause of these disorders and may lead to new treatments and tests to predict those women at highest risk.

In collaboration with researchers from the UWA Centre for Sleep Science, our research aims to identify genetic risk variants associated with sleep disorders. We will use parent and offspring data (genetic analysis and laboratory-based sleep studies) from the long-running Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. 

Contact:

Professor Eric Moses

Professor Peter Eastwood

Obesity in childhood predicts adult cardiovascular disease. Differences in the distribution of body fat, particularly fat around organs, may explain some of the risk associated with development of cardiovascular disease.

In collaboration with researchers from the UWA Medical School, research is underway to examine the effects of genetic, pregnancy and childhood factors on different body fats and cardiovascular risk in young adult participants in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study.

Contact: 
Professor Eric Moses
Professor Trevor Mori (School of Medicine)

We are investigating genetic and environmental factors that contribute to an individual’s risk of developing various types of cancer, including: