Ohio State University is in the process of conducting a study that will help researchers to better understand the relationship between human cells and asbestos fibers. The object of the study is to attempt to come up with a treatment for those individuals who have developed either mesothelioma or one of the many other diseases caused by asbestos exposure.
Exposure to asbestos-containing materials may lead to the development of a number of asbestos-related diseases. Such diseases include mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Due to the typically long latency period of diseases caused by asbestos exposure it is often very difficult to find effective treatment options for those diagnosed. In most cases asbestos-related diseases are already in their advanced stages of development by the time that they are discovered.
Researchers conducting the study are using the advanced technology of atomic force microscopy in order to closely examine and observe how an asbestos fiber reacts with human cell surfaces that contain specific receptor proteins. Researchers are hoping that their study will help them to better understand inflammation that is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers and how such inflammation in many cases eventually leads to the development of asbestos-related diseases.
The type of asbestos that is of main concern to researchers at this point is crocidolite. In the future researchers plan to study other forms of asbestos as well.
In the event of a successful study researchers could be closer to finding a way to intervene in asbestos-related disease development if not even prevent it.
