About 13,000 study members are still on our list to provide a blood and urine sample. Beginning in April, these participants can expect to receive a lab requisition form from us by email or mail.

Members can visit any LifeLabs Patient Service Centre throughout British Columbia, either on a drop-in basis or by appointment. Lab locations and hours are provided on the requisition form. Please note our collection days: Monday – Wednesday at Vancouver Island locations and Monday – Thursday for all mainland locations.

To learn more about what happens to the blood samples we collect, watch our video “From Needle Poke to Freezer Farm”.

Dr. Spinelli is one of four SFU alumni to receive an Outstanding Alumni Award for 2012. He completed his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and PhD (Math & Statistics) at SFU. Here’s what SFU wrote about him:

Dr. John Spinelli is internationally recognized as one of Canada’s leading cancer epidemiologists and biostatisticians. He has spent much of his life working towards reducing the burden of cancer in Canada. His passion for population health led him to direct his efforts to identifying modifiable risk factors for cancer with the ultimate goal of prevention. He has made seminal contributions to our understanding of the etiology of cancer, including key findings on occupational and environmental causes. Dr. Spinelli was one of the first researchers to identify an increased risk of cancer in aluminum workers, and was a leader in demonstrating a link between PCB exposure and lymphoma. His work has been used worldwide by industry and workers’ organizations to reduce exposures and determine compensation for those exposed in the past. He actively shares his knowledge by teaching and mentoring junior scientists and graduate students at UBC and SFU. Currently, Dr. Spinelli is the Head of Cancer Control Research at the BC Cancer Agency, and his work investigates the effects of the interactions between genes and environmental exposures on the risk of cancer. He is also the principal investigator of the BC Generations Project, part of a national prospective cohort study which will enable researchers to examine risks of cancer and other chronic diseases that would not be identifiable in any other way. The cohort will be an invaluable resource for researchers like Dr. Spinelli who envision a cancer-free future for Canadians.

The massive long-term health study has the potential to help researchers determine how genetics, environment, and lifestyle contribute to our risk of developing cancer, as well as related chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Any British Columbian resident aged 35-69 is eligible to join. Participants must complete three secure web forms: an informed consent form, a personal information form, and a health and lifestyle questionnaire. To sign up now, visit http://www.bcgenerationsproject.ca/sign-up/

9. It is easy and convenient. Just answer some questions online. We’ll contact you at a later date to donate blood and urine. No appointment needed. No pressure.

8. Your blood and urine samples will be used in many research studies exploring the causes of cancer and other chronic diseases.

7. You will feel really good about yourself after.

6. This project is part of the largest study EVER to have been initiated in Canada. Alberta, Ontario, Quebec & Atlantic Canada are all part of it too. Support BC by participating!

5. You are unique and important. Your life might help show the link between genetic & environmental factors and the development of diseases plaguing our generation.

4. You will play a part in helping prevent cancer and chronic disease in the future. Give some of your time today, save thousands of lives tomorrow.

3. You will be helping your own children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, great-great-great-grandchildren…You know what we mean. The BC Generations Project is a very valuable investment for the future.

2. Pay it forward. You won’t likely benefit from this project but thousands of others could. Who doesn’t want to be called a humanitarian?

1. It is the right thing to do!

When the Project was in Kelowna last year, 967 residents signed up for the study and visited our temporary assessment centre.

With two weeks to go, our current Kamloops assessment centre has now recruited 653 men and women for intake appointments. Another 315 sign ups will gain Kamloops bragging rights as the Interior’s top town for participation.

This optional part of joining BC’s largest ever cancer prevention study provides researchers with additional data for the study. It also offers participants valuable health information about themselves such as blood pressure, grip strength, body fat percentage and bone density. Our assessment centre will run Monday through Saturday until November 17th. To book your appointment, you must register as a participant online.

Less is known about the impact of cellphone use on young people. The BC Generations Project’s lead scientist, John Spinelli, is currently conducting a study in BC to determine whether cell phones increase the risk of brain cancer in children and young adults. The study, which is looking at 10- to 24-year-olds,  is part of a larger project involving 13 countries. Dr. Spinelli’s research will compare cell phone use and environmental factors between healthy subjects and those who have been diagnosed with a malignant or benign brain tumour.

Visiting the assessment centre in Kamloops is an optional yet informative part of the project, involving bone density, body mass and blood pressure measurements. Participants receive a printout of all the measurements taken during their appointment.