Although millions of Americans have developed mesothelioma, asbestosis and other diseases from being exposed to asbestos, no one knows exactly how asbestos produces these illnesses. Scientists at Ohio State University are now using atomic force microscopy to examine how a single asbestos fiber affects human cells at the molecular level.

Nanoscale Examination of Asbestos Effects

These efforts are apparently the first in the world to use atomic force microscopy, which measures on the nanoscale, or billionths of a meter, to look at how asbestos triggers the events that lead to cancer. Professor Steven Lower, a coauthor of the study, said that the hypothesis being tested is that “binding of cell surface receptors to asbestos fibers triggers a signal event, which initiates the cancer,” and that the signal triggers a cascade outlined as:

• inflammation
• the formation of pre-malignant cells, and then
• cancer

Study Goals Include Asbestos Cancer Prevention

Every human cell has epidermal growth factor receptor on its surface, and the Ohio State researchers are investigating whether this protein is involved in a binding process with asbestos. As another researcher noted, they’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?”

A Decades Long Process

Mesothelioma’s symptoms don’t generally appear until many years after the initial asbestos exposure. The larger goals of the Ohio State study are to:

• learn how an individual asbestos fiber binds with specific receptor proteins on cell surfaces, and why the process takes so long to manifest symptoms
• determine which of the six types of asbestos are most dangerous
• find ways to intervene or prevent asbestos-caused cancers and other illnesses

Although clinical applications of the study’s findings are far in the future, this ground-breaking work could help solve the mystery that is the development of mesothelioma cancer.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

There are three types of mesothelioma: pleural mesothelioma (which attacks the lining of the lungs); peritoneal mesothelioma (which affects the lining of the stomach); pericardial mesothelioma (which affects the lining surrounding the heart). Although there are different types of mesothelioma, affecting different organs, there are some common symptoms among all mesothelioma patients, including:

• chronic coughing, shortness of breathe
• fatigue, decrease in stamina
• loss of appetite, weight loss
• fever, night sweats

(Source: Science Daily)

Have you or someone you love been affected by asbestos exposure? If so, contact mesothelioma centers today to speak with a qualified asbestos attorney who will help you recover compensation for your financial, physical and emotional losses.