Community role in research center discussed

By BRENT SHRUM Western News Reporter

The community has an important part to play in the ongoing development of a research center in Libby, according to Dr. Brad Black of the Center for Asbestos Related Disease.

"I think the community needs to be empowered and see a role here that's very important," Black said during a Tuesday night meeting to explain the basic idea of a local research center for asbestos related disease.

Tuesday's meeting was the first of a three-part series, with follow-up meetings scheduled for March 20 and April 17 to look more closely at creation of a research center and specific research projects.

Because of its long association with vermiculite mining activities that led to exposure to a particularly toxic form of asbestos, Libby is in a unique position to provide information for researchers, Black said. Several projects are already under way, including:

* An effort with the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation to use blood samples to seek a "marker" that could lead to early diagnosis of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer associated with asbestos exposure.

* A general health survey being conducted by Montana State University.

* Research at the University of Montana on auto-antibodies and genetic studies of people with severe asbestos related disease.

* A project with the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Michigan on how community reaction to asbestos contamination and related disease.

A project with the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is in the early stages and seeks to determine if digital X-rays can replace film X-rays for purposes of sharing information among physicians and researchers. Digital X-rays can be shared much more easily than film.

"It will certainly be something that can facilitate research," Black said.

A multimillion-dollar grant with the National Institutes of Health has been proposed to facilitate multiple projects involving five universities. The proposed projects include trials of new treatments for patients with asbestosis, Black said. It won't be known until summer if the grant is awarded.

As the research center project grows, a board will be created to facilitate an equal and respectful partnership between the community and outside researchers, Black said. He stressed that patients must always come first, and the voice of the community needs to be heard by research partners.

A research center won't necessarily be "scientists in white coats" and "big microscopes," said CARD social worker Tanis Hernandez. The center will be founded on cooperation between patients, community members and outside research institutions. That has already started and will continue to grow, Hernandez said.

"We just add a few things on to help all these white-coat lab scientists around the nation," she said.