It has now been two years since the launch of the project. Three generations of residents of the Town and Municipality of Aleksandr贸w 艁贸dzki have been participating in free, comprehensive examinations. A few days ago, the second meeting of the Social Council took place, during which the arrangements made so far were discussed. Additionally, deliberations were held on the future of the project. A preliminary summary of some of the results obtained was also presented. A report with detailed research results will be published at the end of this year.
At the present stage, we are not announcing partial results; the outcomes of the research will be published after its completion. However, it is already clear that residents of Aleksandr贸w are generally satisfied with their lives, although they report problems with stress and excessive sugar intake in their daily diet. At the same time, they are physically active and spend a lot of time outdoors. We also observe inconsistencies between the declared health status and the objective test results. Examples include blood pressure measurements or vitamin D levels in the body, which are well-established health indicators
鈥� says Dr Micha艂 Seweryn, the originator of the project.
Three generations under the scrutiny of scientists
So far, nearly 100 families, i.e. approximately 350 individuals, have been examined as part of the Generation-A project. The idea behind the project is that representatives of at least two generations within a single family should be included in the study, although the ideal scenario would be to strive for representation of three generations.
In the Generation-A project, we have adopted an intergenerational perspective, as many aspects of health result from the overlap of biological predispositions, lifestyle, environmental conditions and family experiences. Examining several generations within one family makes it possible to better distinguish age-related phenomena from those that may have a familial or environmental character. For the study participants, this means an opportunity to view themselves in a broader context 鈥� not only individual but also familial 鈥� and to identify areas requiring preventive action at an earlier stage. This way, parents learn how to take better care of their children鈥檚 health and consciously meet the challenges that will arise in older age.
We do not forget about mental well-being
Physical health is very important and a significant part of the project focuses on this aspect. However, the conducted research also takes into account the equally important mental well-being of its participants.
Mental and somatic health are two parts of the same puzzle and mutually influence each other. Today, considerable challenges are observed in the area of mental functioning across all age groups. The project may contribute to a better understanding of their aetiology and course in relation to biological and environmental variables
鈥� underlines Dr Seweryn.
Recently, much has been said about the mental condition of young people, which is why during the meeting of the Social Council the voice of the Aleksandr贸w educational community was particularly important. The discussion was attended, among others, by Hanna Beda, Head of the Department of Education, Culture and Sport of the Municipal Office in Aleksandr贸w 艁贸dzki, and psychologist Ewa 艁膮cka, representing the Sports Championship School 鈥� High School in Aleksandr贸w 艁贸dzki.
During the meeting, issues related to the mental well-being of children and adolescents as well as the challenges currently faced by educational institutions were also discussed. Topics included the importance of early identification of emotional difficulties, cooperation with parents and strengthening the competencies of school staff in supporting students. Among the possible directions for further activities, the participants indicated, among other things, the development of cooperation with schools in the Municipality of Aleksandr贸w 艁贸dzki, educational initiatives addressed to parents and teachers, and the use of collected data to better identify the needs of children, adolescents and adults.
Next steps in the project
In the coming months, the project will be continued through the inclusion of additional families in the study and the implementation of planned research activities. At the same time, the project team will be working on an in-depth analysis of the collected data, preparing a report summarising the first stages of the study and developing further research areas.
The Generation-A project is unique not only in Poland, but also worldwide.
In many countries, long-term population studies are conducted. However, these are large-scale projects with stable government funding. Our study is financed under a project of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MNiSW) within the Science for Society programme and, at least for the time being, has a defined financial horizon. For this reason, the structure of our study is what it is. We aim to capture the impact of environmental factors within a relatively homogeneous, family-based genetic background. At the application stage, we concluded that a family-based study was the best solution
鈥� say the implementers of the project.
The project team is striving to build a community of volunteers who will wish to continue cooperation after the formal completion of the project, understanding how valuable for society the information they have chosen to share is.
We are slowly approaching the point of conducting the first genomic analyses. If we manage to maintain the current recruitment dynamics, we will be able to present the first report based on omics data in the last quarter of 2026
鈥� announce the researchers.
In parallel with the collection of biological material, data from questionnaires concerning mental well-being and professional engagement of the local community are being collected and analysed in the context of the unstable socio-economic situation of recent years.
One of our objectives is to create a digital collection and databases containing these data, available for science and analyses. We warmly encourage representatives of the humanities to strengthen cooperation with the Generation-A project team in this area
鈥� encourage the researchers.
Would you like to join the study? You are welcome!
If you live in Aleksandr贸w 艁贸dzki or the Municipality of Aleksandr贸w, you can still sign up for another year to receive a free package of examinations with a total value of up to PLN 10,000 per family. After completing the examinations, you will receive an individual report including, among other things, blood test results, body composition analysis, assessment of cognitive processes and vocational predispositions. We encourage entire families to participate in the study, as the opportunity to include representatives of different generations is particularly important to us. The youngest participants should be over 10 years of age.
You can register for the examinations:
- by phone: +48 533 543鈥�841,
- online: https://www.biobank.uni.lodz.pl/generation-a/uczestnicy (this website also contains all relevant information about the study).
Source: mgr Anna P臋kala, dr hab. Agnieszka Grzelak, Dr Micha艂 Seweryn, Dr Dominik Strapagiel (Centre for Digital Biology and Biomedical Sciences 鈥� Biobank 艁贸d藕庐, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, 91桃色)
Photos: Aleksandrow-lodzki.pl
Edit: Kamila Knol-Micha艂owska, Mateusz Kowalski (Promotion Centre, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, 91桃色)