ANGI’s New Year’s resolution was to continue recruitment and reach a record number of people in 2015. Now that we are just over the half way point in recruitment, we need more help than ever! For those who haven’t heard, ANGI is a multi-national research study designed to discover the genetic factors that contribute to the development of anorexia nervosa (AN). We have sites in Denmark, Sweden, Australia, and here at UNC. We are recruiting men and women who have a past or current history of AN, as well as people with no history of an eating disorder.

We continue to be amazed by the tremendous amount of support we have received from around the country, and by the number of people interested in this groundbreaking study.  Our original goal for the UNC site was to have 120 blood samples collected by May 1, 2014 and 500 by the end of recruitment in July, 2016. In May, we reported a total of 341 samples collected, almost tripling the original goal! Because we’ve received such an enthusiastic response, we have increased our final recruitment goal for UNC to 1,500 people with a history of AN. The world over, we’ve already collected almost 7,000 samples! Thanks to the community and our participants – without whom none of this would be possible – we’ve raised the world-wide recruitment goal from 8,000 participants (with a history of AN) to 13,000.

However, we know that we have not yet reached thousands of individuals who have suffered from AN who may wish to participate in ANGI and donate a blood sample in order to help stop this crushing disorder. If you would like to join the effort to crack the genetic code of AN, don’t hesitate to contact us or take the eligibility survey directly to find out if you’re eligible.

Here’s to two more years of successful recruitment!

If you or someone you know has suffered from AN or has never had an eating disorder and are in the United States, please visit our website at www.unceatingdisorders.org/angi, call us at 919-966-3065, or email us at angi@unc.edu.

If you are in Australia, visit https://angi.qimr.edu.au, free call 1-800-257-179, or email angi@qimrberghofer.edu.au

For a more detailed description of the study, please see our blog post on the study launch.

The ANGI Team and I wanted to express a big THANK YOU to everyone who has been involved in our study thus far, whether it be through participating in the study or passing on the word. We could not do it without all of you! We are deeply grateful for your interest and participation. Please continue to browse our blog, website, and Facebook page for further updates on the status of ANGI!