10,000 Families: uncovering environmental links to blood cancers
The 10,000 Families Cohort: a new study to understand the environmental causes of cancer
This project follows families across Minnesota to track exposure to chemicals like glyphosate, PFAS, and radon and look for early blood-cancer signals in adults and children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11192273 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I join, researchers will enroll households across targeted Minnesota counties and collect my residential history and environmental measures from air and water near my home. I may wear a silicone bracelet and give blood, hair, and urine samples so investigators can measure chemical exposures and biological markers. They will test for clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and look for changes in immunity and epigenetics that can come before blood cancers. The project aims to recruit about 8,750 people from roughly 4,000 households and include rural and immigrant communities that are often under-represented.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults and children living in the targeted Minnesota counties who are willing to provide environmental histories and biological samples, including households from rural and immigrant communities.
Not a fit: People who live outside the targeted Minnesota areas or who already have a diagnosed advanced blood cancer are unlikely to directly benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify environmental causes of blood cancers and help target prevention or earlier detection for exposed communities.
How similar studies have performed: Previous cohort and biomonitoring studies have linked environmental exposures to health risks, but combining family-based recruitment, wearable exposure devices, and CHIP measurement is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- University of Minnesota — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Poynter, Jenny N. — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Poynter, Jenny N.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.