Vancouver, BC – Researchers at the BC Cancer Agency announced today an ambitious goal to recruit 40,000 British Columbians to participate in the largest health research project ever conducted in this province. All BC residents aged 40 to 69 are eligible to join.
The BC Generations Project will help researchers learn more about how environmental exposures, lifestyle and genetic makeup contribute to the development of cancer and other chronic diseases. It’s part of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow, a 30-year pan-Canadian study to collect health information and biological samples from 300,000 Canadians.
This massive collection will form a high quality, highly-secure data pool that can be used in cancer research studies for decades. And because many of the risk factors for cancer are also risk factors for other diseases, the project will also benefit approved research into the causes of chronic illnesses such as heart and lung disease or diabetes.
“By studying many people from all walks of life, we’ll have a powerful tool for pinpointing the factors that contribute to cancer and chronic diseases among British Columbians,” said Richard Gallagher, Principal Investigator of the BC Generations Project and Head of the Cancer Control Research Program at the BC Cancer Agency. “This new knowledge will guide our efforts to protect future generations from these devastating diseases.”
The success of the Project depends on the generosity of British Columbians to commit 90 minutes to attend a BC Generations Assessment clinic. Participants are asked to complete a questionnaire about their health and lifestyle, have various physical measurements taken, and provide a blood and urine sample.
The Project aims to recruit 40,000 participants over the next few years. An assessment clinic is currently operating in Vancouver, and a Victoria-area assessment clinic will open next year. The Project is also piloting a mobile assessment van to visit locations throughout the province.
The BC Generations Project maintains stringent protocols around participant confidentiality and access to information. The Project enlisted former BC Privacy Commissioner David Flaherty to assess all aspects of its practices and systems. “I think British Columbians can feel good about participating in the BC Generations Project, with confidence that their personal health information will be kept private and secure,” he said. In fact, Flaherty intends to join as a participant when the Victoria assessment clinic opens.
In Vancouver, participant Jane Marr explained her reasons for joining the BC Generations Project: "As someone with longevity in my family, I’m very excited about the prospects of this research helping others achieve the same. I’m especially interested in environmental influences on disease, and would love to have my children and grandchildren benefit from this research." Marr has also recruited some of her friends to become participants. “We all feel strongly about disease prevention.”
It doesn’t matter whether participants are healthy, or have illnesses or disabilities. “We encourage all BC residents 40 to 69 to consider joining the BC Generations Project – and to tell their friends and family about this important initiative,” said Gallagher.
“Cancer touches everyone and is a complicated set of diseases,” said Dr. Heather Bryant, Vice-President of Cancer Control at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer – the study funder. “By using modern data collection and exposure measurements – and focusing on environmental and lifestyle risk factors – this study will make a major contribution to worldwide cancer research. This is the gold standard of studies.”
The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer has committed $6.1 million to the BC Generations Project. The Project is also supported by the BC Cancer Agency and endorsed by the BC Cancer Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society – BC and Yukon Division, the Heart and Stroke Association of BC & Yukon, and the BC Lung Association. The Director of the BC Generations Project is Dr. Marilyn Borugian, a senior scientist at the BC Cancer Agency.
To learn more or to sign up for the BC Generations Project, please visit www.bcgenerationsproject.ca, or call 604-675-8221 or toll-free 1-877-675-8221.
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Interviews
Available for interview are:
- Principal Investigator Richard Gallagher
- Project Director Dr. Marilyn Borugian
- Participants from Vancouver and Burnaby
Visuals
Available on request are:
- B-roll footage of participants at the BC Generations Project assessment clinic
- High-res photo of Principal Investigator Richard Gallagher
- High-res photos of participants at the assessment clinic
Contact:
Alison Osborne
BC Generations Project Communications
604-288-0906
Alison@alisonosborne.ca
or
Jinny Wu
Communications Specialist
BC Cancer Agency
Tel: 604.877.6272
Pgr: 604.806.2338
jwu2@bccancer.bc.ca
Backgrounder: BC Generations Project
About cancer and chronic diseases
- According to Canadian Cancer Statistics 2009, about 40 per cent of Canadian women and 45 per cent of men will develop cancer during their lifetimes
- Not everybody has the same risk of developing cancer: genetic background, lifestyle and behaviour, and environmental exposures are all known to influence cancer risk. For example:
- While sunlight is a well-known carcinogen (cancer causing agent), its effects differ markedly between populations of different genetic make-up
- People who carry certain variants of a gene that helps break down carcinogens in tobacco smoke are at greater risk for lung cancer
- For cancer prevention programs to have a significant impact at the population level, researchers need to understand the combination of factors that influence cancer risk
- Many risk factors for cancer are also risk factors for other serious chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes. These risk factors include smoking, alcohol, poor diet, physical inactivity, obesity, and increased age
About the BC Generations Project
- Aims to recruit 40,000 British Columbians aged 40-69 to provide health information and biological samples
- Goal is to explore how genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour contribute to the development of cancer and other chronic diseases
- Principal Investigator – Richard Gallagher, Head of the Cancer Control Research Program at the BC Cancer Agency
Director – Dr. Marilyn Borugian, Senior Scientist, Cancer Control Research, BC Cancer Agency; Clinical Associate Professor, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia
- Currently operating one assessment clinic in Vancouver, located at the Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Centre on Laurel Street. Next year, the Project will open a clinic in Victoria, and plans to use a mobile assessment unit to visit other parts of the province
- Part of the national Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project, funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
- Operates in affiliation with the BC Cancer Agency, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority; supported by the BC Cancer Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, BC & Yukon Division, the Heart and Stroke Association of BC & Yukon, and the BC Lung Association
- For more information:
About the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project
- The largest research project of its kind ever conducted in Canada, tracking 300,000 Canadians for at least the next 20 to 30 years
- This collection of high-quality, highly-secure information will help researchers, policy-makers and others understand how different combinations of risk factors lead to cancer, guiding future prevention programs
- Similar large cohort projects have been conducted in other countries, most notably in the United Kingdom, where the UK Biobank project has already recruited more than 375,000 people
- Five Canadian regions are currently participating in the project: British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada
- Supported with $42 million from Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) in addition to regional commitments
- CPAC is an independent organization funded by the federal government to accelerate action on cancer control for all Canadians
Project Oversight/ Data Security and Access
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The BC Generations Project and all research that uses the data and samples are overseen by the Governance Council of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow. This body of international research experts monitors the study on an ongoing basis
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The University of British Columbia/ BC Cancer Agency Research Ethics Board also has ongoing independent oversight of the BC Generations Project
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A Privacy Impact Assessment regarding the Project was conducted by David Flaherty, Former BC Privacy Commissioner. This document, along with the Project Protocol and the Participant Consent Form, are publicly available on the BC Generations Project website
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The BC Generations Project collects, uses, discloses, and retains personal information in accordance with the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), and is subject to the independent oversight of the Office of the BC Information and Privacy Commissioner. The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of BC has reviewed the project and will be updated as it proceeds
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All information and biological samples provided by participants to the BC Generations Project are stored in coded form, with no identifying information such as name, address, or personal health number
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Participant data is linked to past and future health and vital statistics data that is routinely collected for research and statistical purposes. This summary information is provided confidentially and does not reveal personal health numbers or names
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The BC Generations Project uses sophisticated and stringent methods to safeguard data and control electronic and physical access to information. Access to information is restricted to research and audit purposes only
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Only anonymized data will be released, and only for ethically and scientifically approved research into the causes and treatment of disease. No information will ever be disclosed to others, such as insurance companies, family members or employers
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