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Asbestos-related disease

A note from our CEO
Section I: Taking action to eliminate asbestos-related diseases
Actions leading to national bans on asbestos
Towards a global ban on asbestos
International bilateral & multilateral mechanisms
History of Mining, consumption production and use of asbestos
Transitioning to alternative non-asbestos materials
Proactive removal of ageing legacy asbestos materials
Section II: Country summaries, case studies and resources
Country summaries
Case studies
Research on ARDs
Section III: What asbestos is and the risks it poses
What asbestos is and how to identify it
Exposure pathways
Asbestos removal, management and disposal
Asbestos in fibres in drinking water
Public health risks from asbestos cement products
Section IV: Health impacts of exposure to asbestos
What are asbestos-related diseases
How are asbestos-related diseases diagnosed?
Can ARDs be treated?
Patient support, care and information
Reporting, coding and registration of ARDs

ADDRI pre-clinical research into pleural mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis, predominantly caused by human occupational exposure to asbestos.

The global incidence of mesothelioma is predicted to increase as a consequence of continued exposure to asbestos from a variety of sources, including construction material produced in the past in developed countries, as well as those currently being produced in developing countries. Mesothelioma typically develops after a long latency period and consequently it is often diagnosed in the clinic at an advanced stage, at which point standard care of treatment, such as chemo- and radio-therapy, are largely ineffective. Much of our current understanding of mesothelioma biology, particularly in relation to disease pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment, can be attributed to decades of preclinical basic science research.

Given the postulated rising incidence in mesothelioma cases and the limitations of current diagnostic and treatment options, continued preclinical research into mesothelioma is urgently needed. The ever-evolving landscape of preclinical models and laboratory technology available to researchers have made it possible to study human disease with greater precision and at an accelerated rate. In this review article we provide an overview of the various resources that can be exploited to facilitate an enhanced understanding of mesothelioma biology and their applications to research aimed to improve the diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. These resources include cell lines, animal models, mesothelioma-specific biobanks and modern laboratory techniques/technologies. Given that different preclinical models and laboratory technologies have varying limitations and applications, they must be selected carefully with respect to the intended objectives of the experiments.

This review therefore aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the various preclinical models and technologies with respect to their advantages and limitations. Finally, we will detail about a highly valuable preclinical laboratory resource to curate high quality mesothelioma biospecimens for research; the biobank. Collectively, these resources are essential to the continued advancement of precision medicine to curtail the increasing health burden caused by malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer of the lung lining that is associated with asbestos exposure. Due to a lack of effective biomarkers coupled with a long latency period from asbestos exposure to cancer development, prognosis of MPM is poor with an average survival of 8–14 months following diagnosis. Pre-clinical investigations aimed to develop novel biomarkers and treatment strategies are urgently needed to improve MPM diagnosis and treatments available to MPM patients. Novel protein and microRNA biomarkers constitute promising diagnostic biomarkers of MPM; and treatment strategies such as targeted-, immune- and viro-therapy exhibit promising efficacy. In this review, we have provided a comprehensive overview of significant pre-clinical research advancements relating to MPM biology, and biomarker and treatment development for MPM.

Learn more about ADDRI’s work

 

References

Preclinical Models and Resources to Facilitate Basic Science Research on Malignant Mesothelioma – A Review

Ben William Johnson, Ken Takahashi & Yuen Yee Cheng

Frontiers in Oncology

Pre-Clinical Research Advancements Relating to Improving the Diagnosis and Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: A Review

Ben Johnson 1,*, Kenneth Lee 1,2,3 and Yuen Yee Cheng 1

MDPI Cancers

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