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Scientists Study How Asbestos Fibers Trigger Cancer in Human Cells
By asbestoshub | January 8, 2009
An Ohio State University study, supported by the National Science Foundation is optimistic that they are the first in the world to study cancer by probing individual bonds between an asbestos fiber and human cells.
Though any clinical application would be years away, the researchers hope their findings could aid in drug development efforts targeting illnesses caused by excessive exposure to asbestos, including the deadly cancer called mesothelioma.
The researchers suspect that at least one of the more lethal forms of asbestos triggers a cascade of events inside cells that eventually lead to illness, sometimes decades later.
The conditions most commonly associated with long-term exposure to airborne asbestos are lung cancer; asbestosis, and mesothelioma.
“We’re looking at what molecules are involved in the chain of events when the fiber touches the cell. Does the binding occur over minutes, or hours? And what processes are triggered?” said Taylor, who presented the research at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.
The word asbestos encompasses six different minerals that occur naturally. It is durable and heat resistant, which is why it was used in many manufacturing products since the late 1800s. The use of asbestos is now highly regulated; nevertheless, it is still present in many materials. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 1.3 million employees face significant asbestos exposure on the job. Environmental exposure is also possible because asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral in soils and exposed bedrock. There is also potential for secondary exposure when contact is made with someone who has worked around asbestos. Many wives and children of asbestos workers have suffered the ill-effects of asbestos through secondary exposure.
Ohio State researchers eventually hope to study how all six forms of asbestos interact with proteins on cell surfaces. Some forms of asbestos can dissolve in the lungs if they are inhaled, but others are believed to stick to cells, especially at high concentrations, and lay dormant for years until causing lung diseases.
“For the first time, this will give us data on biological activity that should help policymakers determine which forms of asbestos are the most dangerous,” said Steven Lower, associate professor of earth sciences at Ohio State and a coauthor on the study.
The motivation behind the research is the potential to find a way to intervene and prevent illness even after someone is exposed to asbestos. Mesothelioma takes 30 to 50 years to manifest after exposure. After diagnosis, however, the cancer is difficult to control, and there is no cure.
