Libby involved in mesothelioma research

A new research project has received a grant from the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation in Santa Barbara to study the asbestos-related disease in Libby.

Christopher E. Hahn, executive director of the foundation announced grants of $100,000 each for nine projects worldwide, including the one in Libby.

Mesothelioma is a painful, usually lethal, cancer related to asbestos exposure. Hundreds of people in Libby have died of mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. A vermiculite mine there was contaminated with asbestos, and W.R. Grace, the mine's owner, was recently indicted for allegedly concealing the risks. The vermiculite reportedly exists today as attic insulation in millions of U.S. homes. Asbestos use has not been banned in the United States.

According to Hahn, the grant to Dr. Brad Black exemplifies the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation's commitment to move "from meso crisis to meso cure."

Black will apply one of the most exciting recent developments in mesothelioma research in Libby. Using serum samples from local volunteer study participants, he and his colleagues at Libby's Center for Asbestos Related Disease will test and define levels of a meso biomarker called serum mesothelin related protein. Levels will be compared between people who have not been exposed to asbestos and people who have been exposed but didn't develop cancer. This will provide comparison data crucial to developing the protein as a powerful new tool for early detection and diagnosis of mesothelioma, as well as for monitoring response to treatment and recurrence.

Other research projects will be conducted in the U.S., Australia, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Hahn was not available Thursday to discuss when research would begin in Libby.

For more information, see www.marf.org