Research at Keele Discovering Excellence | Page 10

Discovering Excellence | Aluminium

Aluminium
Professor Chris Exley
Body Burden of Aluminium
Keele continues to lead research into human exposure to aluminium
There is a burgeoning interest in
human exposure to nanoparticulates,
which are sub-micron sized
particles that enter the body,
potentially accumulating in tissues
and organs. These materials are
naturally present in many different
environments and while there is
evidence that such nanomaterials
are becoming more widespread,
it is also clear that we understand
very little about their potential
modes of toxicity.
A form of nanomaterial that has
been used by humans for decades
are aluminium-based adjuvants
used in vaccination and allergy
therapy. Professor Chris Exley leads
a team at Keele University
researching aluminium in biological
systems. Its aim is to develop a
better understanding of the
physical and chemical properties
of aluminium adjuvants and
investigate how these properties
influence the biological activity of
these materials. In the long term,
the team hope their research will
help in the design of future safe
and effective adjuvant materials
and eventually optimise the toxicity
of such materials so that they
might additionally be used to kill
tumour cells in cases of malignant
brain cancer.

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Professor Exley explains: “As the
body ages, studies have shown that
aluminium accumulates and
deposits in the body and one area
of the body where this is more likely
to happen is the brain. We know
that aluminium can be present in all
cells of the body, but in the brain
there isn’t the same turnover of
cells that we see in other areas and
therefore the deposits of aluminium
are more likely to accumulate over
time. It’s currently unclear what the
impact of this burden of aluminium
has on the body and our overall
health and wellbeing, which is why
we’re interested in exploring the
pathology of the metal and to
explore the properties of aluminium
adjuvants. How does aluminium
affect our bodies and can we use
this knowledge to develop safe
adjuvant materials”.
Professor Exley’s team has recently
undertaken a study analysing 60
human brains and the metal content
within them. Interestingly, the
research has found a link between
amyloid beta deposits – often
implicated in the aetiology of
Alzheimer’s disease – and the burden
of metal in brain tissue, leading to a
theory that dementia might be
predicted by a combination of
amyloid pathology and the ratio of
copper and aluminium in the brain.
Further in vitro research has also
found that other proteins
which are often co-deposited with
amyloid beta, including serum
amyloid P component (or SAP)
influence the aggregation of
amyloid beta and that this property
of SAP is enhanced in the presence
of aluminium.

The team’s research was used at an
inquest for one of the UK’s most
notorious water poisoning
incidents tha