In a country that has the highest rate of mesothelioma in the world, scientists at a university in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, are working on what they are referring to as a new strategy for mesothelioma treatment.

In a story on Yahoo7 News, Associate Professor Sonja Klebe from Flinders University said her work targets key growth factors that feed the mesothelioma tumor”.

“A completely different strategy to what anyone else has done so far,” she noted, adding that their work involving drugs and gene therapy has shown promise thus far in animal trials.

The scientists in Adelaide believe they’re racing the clock as health officials predict a third wave of mesothelioma sufferers to appear soon. Even though asbestos is now banned in Australia and exposure has lessened, the third group of mesothelioma victims will most likely be home or business owners who participated in do-it-yourself projects, failing to recognize the asbestos materials encountered during renovations and/or failing to follow proper procedure while removing asbestos, including wearing protective masks to prevent inhalation of the material’s tiny, sharp fibers.

“There is definitely a prediction of a third wave,” Professor Klebe noted. “Children that have been present during home renovation. The housewives who wash the clothes of the home renovator – shaking the dust out of those clothes.”

“It is important research because it affects so many people… so any research that can be done to prolong life, make life more comfortable, is excellent,” said former electrician Peter Beinke, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma about a year ago.

Because the disease often takes decades to develop, it is difficult to predict future cases, but Australian health officials have noted the disease will most likely peak in that country at about 900 cases annually by the year 2020.

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