The primary goal of the ATR is to facilitate and support research studies involving twins. These studies play an important and unique role in developing an understanding of good health and clinical problems from a genetic and environmental perspective.

Twins provide a potential resource and research tool for all medical and scientific researchers. Twin research continues to utilise new technologies to establish the causes underlying the many health and medical issues that affect Australians.

The ATR provides access to potential research subjects and a growing number of extensive longitudinal data sets on an impressive range of phenotypes (includes twins and their relatives).

The ATR welcomes approaches by all researchers and encourages researchers in Australia in all social science and health disciplines to understand the value of twins in research designs, and learn about twin studies as a means of understanding epidemiological and clinical problems with a genetic and environmental perspective. Results can often be generalised to the wider population.

The ATR was formed in 1981 and is one of the largest volunteer registers in the world. Over 33,000 pairs of twins have now joined the registry since its inception. The registry enrolls Australian twins of any type, age, or state of health. Basic contact and associated information on ATR twins is maintained in a single database. Every effort is made to keep each registered twin's details up to date.

The ATR facilitates a range of research studies, including emotional wellbeing, growing pains, cervical cancer, diabetes, amongst others. Our studies currently recruiting for 2011 are as follows:

Professor Sam Berkovic

Professor Berkovic recently won the prestigious Zülch Prize of Germany’s Max Planck Society for his groundbreaking investigations into the genetic foundations of epilepsy. Professor Berkovic is a leading epilepsy research scientist, he heads the Epilepsy Research Centre at the University of Melbourne and the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Austin Health. Professor Berkovic’s award recognises his major study of more than 300 twins with epilepsy and numerous large families, which revealed new insights into the genetics of epilepsy. Direct outcomes of his work include changes in patient management and new concepts in the understanding of epilepsies.