Australasian Research Institute

Background

The Australasian Research Institute (ARI) was establised in 2004 as the health and wellness research arm of the Sydney Adventist Hospital (the San).

As an integrated multidisciplinary research centre, the ARI seeks to be a national leader in lifestyle medicine research and program development. ARI activities are underpinned by the core Christian principles of seeking (discovering) and applying what is true (actual or factual) for the betterment of humanity.

The ARI is located on the campus of the Sydney Adventist Hospital. The corporate members of the ARI include, Adventist HealthCare Ltd., Avondale College and the Australian Health and Nutrition Association Ltd.

Mission and Vision

The ARI will coordinate, conduct and facilitate research into the mechanisms linking lifestyle factors to both health and disease, especially at the biochemical level and ensure this knowledge is translated, wherever possible, into clinical and community health programs.

Values

Excellence in research at the ARI is based on the core Christian principles of seeking (discovering) and applying what is true (actual or factual) for the betterment of humanity.

Key Objectives

To use quantitative and qualitative research methodology (both in vitro and in vivo) to improve our understanding of how specific lifestyle choices impact the human physiology to promote either health or the development of disease.

Building on the information derived from this research, develop key messages/programs/strategies that will engage the Australian (and broader) community facilitating the adoption of healthy lifestyle choices.

Provide an evidence-based conduit for public education on the importance of adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyle behaviours to nurture health and wellbeing from an early age.

Strategic Priorities

1. Research

a) Increase understanding of how lifestyle impacts development of disease, particularily through changes in oxidative stress, inflammation and NAD+ metabolism.
b) How to improve cognitive function through:
- increasing undertanding between lifestyle and neurobiology links.
- application of targeted therapies to improve neurobiology often coupled with;
- targeted stimulation of positive neuroplastic growth.

2. Program Development

a) Improved cognition in mild cognitive impairment (MCI; BES Program)
b) Improved cognition in depression (adolescent > adult)
c) Wellness assessment profilr for clinical practice

3. Service Development

a) MCI program (BES)
b) Depression program (adolescents)
c) Wellness assessment profile
d) Corporate wellness assessments
e) Cognitive enhancement
f) Analytical testing

Differentiation

In addition to acute medical intervention, improving health through nutrition and lifestyle, has been a key focus of Adventist HealthCare throughout the world over the past century. Developing an understanding of good health principles and encouraging the application of these principles has remained a core objective of Adventist HealthCare's duty-of-care to the community.

The ARI operates from within the unique environment of the well-established and recognised Sydney Adventist Hospital (SAH) and the wider Adventist HealthCare and academic network. As a world class medical institution with a history of over 100yrs of service to the Australian community SAH offers a wide range of Scientific, Medical, Nursing and allied health professionals on site from which the ARI can draw.

Services Offered

1. Provide advice and support to researchers within AHCL and member organisations.

2. Fund high quality research that is within the guidelines of the ARI.

3. Act as a resource centre for researchers: i.e. for consultation with project development and GRANT writing, collaborator contacts, statistical analysis and writing for publication.

4. Promote, facilitate and encourage research collaborations between academic and professional staff and associates of ARI member organisations and the wider (national and international) research communities.

5. Conduct research for commercial bodies; including Clinical efficacy studies and Clinical therapeutic trials.

6. Provide analytical services for selected research and cinical applications.

Current Questions the ARI Seeks to Answer

1. Can monitoring inflammation and oxidative stress (OS) serve as a predictive diagnostic tool for lifestyle disease risk?

2. What is the most effective means of restoring redox balance (whole body and in selected tissues)?

3. What is the role of lifestyle (diet, exercise, psychosocial stress etc) in the development of disease in particular cognitive decline (especially with age) and does this relate to changes in redox balance and/or inflammation?

4. How does a person’s constellation of lifestyle factors affect NAD+ metabolism and do changes in NAD+ levels influence cellular degeneration, particularly in the brain and central nervous system?

5. Does reducing inflammation and OS translate to better cognitive function?

6. What are the most reliable protocols for sampling and testing NAD+ in the body?

Events