Large health study to collect blood samples in Sudbury

One of the largest health studies ever conducted in Canada will collect blood samples in Sudbury June 19 and 20 to help researchers learn more about chronic diseases.

The Ontario Health Study will set up at the Sudbury LifeLabs Patient Service Centre, located at 66 Larch Street, for most of the day Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20 to receive blood samples from volunteers between the ages of 35 and 69.

The study will also collect blood samples at the Relay for Life event at the Laurentian University Athletic Track Friday evening.

Blood samples can help researchers internal levels of environmental pollutants – such as PCBs – and identify proteins and molecules that could develop into cancers, said Dr. Mark Purdue, executive scientific director, Ontario Health Study.

Medical researchers can also look at the DNA in blood samples to better understand how genes affect our health.

The Ontario Health Study started in 2009 thanks to financial support from the Ontario Ministry for Research and Innovation and a non-profit organization called the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.

Since then, more than 225,000 Ontarians have filled out health questionnaires to provide information on various environmental exposures, lifestyle factors and behaviours that can affect their health.

“With this study we'll be tracking the health of these participants for decades to come in order to better understand the factors that cause cancer and other chronic diseases,” Purdue said.

He said the study tracks the participants' health through a number of provincial databases, including the the Ontario Cancer Registry, which lists all new cancer diagnoses in the province.

The Ontario Health Study has collected around 28,000 blood samples so far, and Purdue said the goal is to collect around 80,000 samples, to have a thorough database researchers can access.

He said they are targeting people between the ages of 35 and 69 for their campaign because people in that age range are more likely to develop chronic conditions.

While they are equipped to accommodate walk-in visits, Purdue said he recommends anyone interested in donating a blood sample to register in advance online, by visiting www.ontariohealthstudy.ca.