Abstract
The pathological effects of inhaled particles such as asbestos and silica were first described in the nineteenth century. Asbestos, prohibited only since 1992, causes fibrosis and mesothelioma, both incurable: mesothelioma (a lung cancer) is increasing and predicted to peak in Europe in 2020, reflecting the long latency between exposure and clinical symptoms.
Alternatively, tobacco smoking is a life style choice, but is known to cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer. James the First observed the adverse effects long ago – “A custome loathsome to the eye, hatefull to the Nose, harmefull to the braine, dangerous to the Lungs….. nearest resembling the horrible Stigian smoke of the pit that is bottomless”. Nevertheless, smoking is legal, and smoking-related lung disease remains a significant health problem.
Professor Tetley will present some early research into occupational exposure to airborne particles, lung inflammation and surfactant turnover. She will then describe her, sometimes controversial, work on the protease-antiprotease imbalance in COPD, and how this led to investigating the role of the human alveolar epithelium in the immune response to cigarette smoke, as well as modern traffic-derived particles, which cause increased respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
Moving into the twenty-first century, she will talk about her research in the new discipline of nanotoxicology and inhalation of engineered nano-sized materials, now being used in all aspects of life. Coming full circle, she will show how some types of nanoparticles might behave like asbestos, inducing fibrosis and mesothelioma and possibly requiring government regulation.
Biography
Terry Tetley obtained her PhD in Biochemistry and did a postdoctoral fellowship at Cardiff University. She took a lectureship at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, where she established the Lung Cell Biology research group within the Department of Respiratory Medicine and obtained a Readership. She moved to the National Heart and Lung Institute when Imperial College Medical School was established and joined the Section of Airways Disease. In 2006, she initiated multidisciplinary research into Nanotoxicology at Imperial and in 2009 became a founder member of the Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology.
Professor Tetley has been deeply involved in teaching and student welfare. She established the BSc in Medical Sciences with Respiratory Science and became a Senior Tutor in 2009, responsible for student welfare. Although teaching and welfare are demanding, she finds it rewarding to help students progress and reach their potential in Medicine and the Biomedical Sciences.