ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is an autoimmune condition that causes the destruction of blood vessels and the narrowing of airways. Although considered a rare condition it can lead to patients having difficulty in breathing and is an important cause of kidney failure and death. Modern therapies have reduced the number of deaths from this condition. However for those who survive, living with the disease can be associated with a reduced quality of life including requirement for dialysis. In addition, these therapies are associated with serious side effects. Therefore there is a need to better understand this disease to enable the development of more specific and less toxic therapies.
Silica is a naturally occurring compound in nature and is found in many common materials including sand, concrete, masonry, rock and granite. The dust created by cutting, grinding, drilling or otherwise disturbing these materials can contain very small crystalline silica particles. Exposure to this silica dust has been shown to be linked to the development of AAV in some patients.
Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell and are the main cells involved in the development of AAV. In order to better understand the development of AAV we plan to investigate the effect of silica particles on the activation of these cells. This will give us a clearer insight into the way in which these cells are activated thereby increasing our understanding of this rare, but severe and potentially life-threatening condition.
