Name: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC); Children of the 90’s 

Principal Investigator: Professor Nick Timpson

Leading institution or organisation: University of Bristol

HDR Innovation Gateway Metadata Ranking: Silver

ALSPAC, which is more commonly known as Children of the 90’s, is a world-leading birth cohort study which began in the early 90’s with the recruitment of 14,00 pregnant women. Over the last thirty years, ALSPAC has followed the lives of these women, their partners, and their children.

ALSPAC is one of the most detailed studies of its kind, and is now a rich resource for studying the environmental and genetic factors that affect a person’s health and development.

In March 2020, ALSPAC began to contribute to COVID-19 research both immediately and forming  a legacy of data and samples beneficial to future research. One example, is the CONVALESCENCE study at University College London, where a small group of participants are helping researchers to understand long COVID.