About ARAD

The Australian Rheumatology Association Database (ARAD) was a national Australian database that collected important health information from individuals with inflammatory arthritis, such as:


  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Juvenile arthritis
  • Psoriatic arthritis

ARAD ceased enrolling participants in 2021 and is no longer recruiting. It has officially merged with the Australian Arthritis and Autoimmune Biobank Collaborative (A3BC) project. Ongoing recruitment and data management now occur under A3BC.

 

Legacy ARAD data remains available for research applications and continues to undergo regular linkages to MBS and PBS data, as well as state and national cancer and death registries. For more information, refer to the application process here.


About A3BC

The A3BC is a national biobank, registry and clinical trials network formed as an expansion of the ARAD, aimed at giving researchers and doctors the best chance of discovering why some people are more likely to develop rheumatic diseases, why some develop more severe forms of these diseases, and why some respond, or do not respond, to different treatments. Its ultimate vision is to find a cure for these conditions.

A3BC participation involves:

  1. Completing online surveys about symptoms, treatments, lifestyle, and quality of life, typically emailed every 6 to 12 months, and/or
  2. Permitting access to linked medical records and health data, and/or
  3. Donating small samples of blood, tissue, or fluids (biospecimens).

 Participation is flexible; for example, some participants choose to only complete surveys and permit access to health data.

De-identified samples and data are securely stored and made available to world-class researchers to help them discover new and better treatments, and hopefully, cures for arthritis and autoimmune diseases. There may be additional opportunities to participate in related studies, such as clinical trials.

If you suffer from any of the following, please visit the A3BC website for more information on how to get involved: 

  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Ankylosing spondylitis / Axial spondyloarthritis
  • Psoriatic arthritis
  • Juvenile arthritis
  • Vasculitis