Across Generations: BC Generations Project Newsletter, Winter 2022/23

12 December 2022

Changing metabolite levels may point to the earliest signs of cancer

A subset of the BC Generations Project’s 30,000 participants is being asked to provide another set of blood samples for a study examining how changes in blood chemistry may be important early indicators of cancer.

This research focuses on metabolites – small molecules that are either naturally produced by the body during metabolism (digestion or other bodily processes), or in response to external factors. By measuring multiple metabolite levels in a blood sample, researchers can produce a snapshot of the chemical processes occurring in the body. Specific metabolite profiles may indicate the presence of cancer before physical symptoms appear.

This study relies on blood samples collected at multiple time points from people who have not received a cancer diagnosis. Understanding how metabolite levels change over time might be more effective for detecting early cancers than a one-time test.

The 3,000 Project participants invited to this new study are also being asked to complete a detailed diet questionnaire and provide an optional stool sample to inform future studies into the gut microbiome’s role in chronic disease.

The project started recruitment in summer 2022 and will continue into the next year, with hopes to expand specimen collection from more Project participants in the future. Ultimately, researchers hope this study will support earlier detection of cancers, leading to more timely treatment.

Bright lights, dark nights and satellites

What can images from the International Space Station (ISS) reveal about sleep quality among British Columbians? This is just one of the angles being pursued by the BC Generations Project research team to expand knowledge around of how our surroundings may affect our health.

Connecting to other data sources is an important way to amplify the value of the BC Generations Project. An existing collaboration with the Canadian Urban Environmental Research Consortium (CANUE) has linked Project-collected data on participants’ residential location and reported sleep quality with CANUE’s data on the concentrations of various air pollutants, density of green space, and nighttime light pollution across Canada.

BC Generations Project team member Jaclyn Parks is examining the health impacts of outdoor light at night and its effect on sleep quality. Preliminary results from matching participant postal codes to CANUE data show that living in areas with more outdoor light at night is associated with reduced hours of nighttime sleep. Further, living in areas surrounded by green space is associated with longer sleeps, regardless of light levels. “Given the importance of high-quality sleep to the maintenance of good health, this work can help inform urban design and city planning to ensure healthy living environments,” she says.

Jaclyn is also excited to report the development of a new avenue for measuring nighttime light in finer detail than by postal code. While ordinary satellite images available from CANUE capture only the total intensity of outdoor light, the International Space Station (ISS) is taking photographs of cities that measure specific wavelengths of light. This is important to better understanding the impacts of different types of nighttime light. “We know that the blue light wavelength is especially disruptive to sleep,” Jaclyn explains. “The ISS images can enable us to precisely measure blue light levels and cross reference this with our participants’ reported sleep quality.”

Working with an astrophysicist and geographers based at l’Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec, Jaclyn and her colleagues have used ISS colour photos of Vancouver and Victoria to generate new data for examining associations with sleep and other health factors.

Aerial view of Vancouver, BC during the day (left), vs at night (right). Map – MS Bing – Microsoft product screenshot(s) reproduced with permission from Microsoft Corporation.

Aerial view of Victoria, BC during the day (left), vs at night (right). Map – MS Bing – Microsoft product screenshot(s) reproduced with permission from Microsoft Corporation.

Time is a powerful research tool

A major strength of the BC Generations Project is in its ability to recontact participants for collection of data and bio-samples over many years – a vital approach for understanding the very first signs of disease.

While other population-based studies also collect pre-diagnostic specimens, the BC Generations Project is unique in collecting repeated pre-diagnostic samples from its participants. This allows researchers to quantify how participants change over time.

Research in action: COVID-19 Antibody Study

BC Generations Project participants can be proud that their involvement in CanPath’s COVID-19 Antibody Study last year made a difference! CanPath’s pan-Canadian partnership of seven regional cohorts across 10 provinces provided almost 27,000 blood samples to support research into the development of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus in the Canadian population.

Researchers demonstrated in the study that due to variability in the level of antibodies produced after a single vaccine dose, it was important to accelerate second doses of COVID-19 vaccine to provide Canadians with greater protection from the virus. Preliminary results from this study informed health policy around vaccination in Canada during a critical time of the pandemic. Thank you for your participation!

Don’t Lose Touch

If you’re planning to move or change your email address, please let us know by sending your new contact details to bcgenupdate@bccrc.ca or calling 604.675.8221 (toll free 1.877.675.8221).