U of M study aims to track the health of 10,000 Minnesota families

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (KTTC) – Minnesota is a melting pot where various cultures and backgrounds continue to thrive and expand. However, with growth comes the need to address environmental concerns and their impact on Minnesotans.

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“We’re looking at factors that both protect health and lead to increased risk of disease that is shared from generation to generation in Minnesota families,” said Jen Poynter, a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota and one of the principal investigators overseeing the day-to-day operations of the study. “My focus is trying to understand why people develop cancer so that we can find better ways to prevent it and people don’t have to go through that.”

Poynter adds that the family design is a unique part of this research, “Most health studies like this have focused on individuals and not included family members, so that’s one unique piece. And then we are also trying to capture populations who typically aren’t included in these types of research studies.”

Among them are new refugees and immigrant families.

“We have big populations like Hispanics, Somalis, Hmong, and urban Native Americans, so we are trying to represent all those populations,” said Clemen Wilcox, the Community Engagement Director for the 10K Families Study. “These populations are underrepresented in normal studies, so we want to overrepresent them in these studies so they get the benefits. Because we don’t understand them, we don’t know how they live, what they do, or what they are exposed to, so they are at a higher risk.”

It’s a higher risk of being exposed to certain environments that could be connected to blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.

The study, partially funded by a $12 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, focuses on three key areas of environmental exposure: radon, pesticides, and PFAS, known as forever chemicals.

Their research will capture these exposures with a new innovative method.

“It’s a silicone wristband that is precleaned in our lab,” said Wilcox. “They wear it for seven consecutive days, and this will pick up all the chemicals they are exposed to.”

Children under the age of three do not get a wristband. To be considered an eligible family, at least two family members must participate, one of whom must be an adult who lives in Minnesota.

“The second step is to fill out a health questionnaire, so we just collect information from where they have lived and some health information,” added Wilcox. “They consent to participate in the study and consent that we look at their medical records because we need to compare this. Finally, we ask them to come to a health visit.”

During the health visit, the families provide several samples that are then carefully analyzed at the Advanced Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ARDL). Once this process is complete, the participants provide periodic check-ins every two to five years.

Poynter insists it’s a team effort supported by skilled researchers, staff, and volunteers from the Schools of Public Health and Medicine. “And then we also have been supported by the Eagles telethon and Rochester through their fundraising for cancer; the last few years, they’ve also supported us,” she added.

The 10k Family Study will follow these families’ health well into the future.

“I think it is important for families to understand that even though they don’t have immediate results, they need to participate to see how this environmental risk is affecting us and to protect their future generations,” added Wilcox. “We need to understand better what we are at risk of, how to control it, and how to go about it.”

Poynter agrees, “It’s really important to think about future generations of Minnesotans, and you know the work that we do now can really benefit them, and it would be the future generations of their family who would benefit by participating in this study.,”

The family unit can also include members who live in the neighboring states of Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

For more information on the 10K Families Study, click here or call this number: (612) 301-2726.

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