The Chilvers group has established novel methodology to define the kinetics of neutrophil transit across the lung in man using autologous 111In-labelled neutrophils and 99mTc-labelled red blood cells, demonstrating that more than 95% of neutrophils transit the capillary network rapidly, and that smokers have a greater neutrophil loss compared to severitymatched non-smoking COPD patients.
More recently, NIHR BRC funding has supported the establishment of a method which has allowed the measurement of eosinophil circulating half life in man, something never achieved before. The eosinophil t1/2 is 21 hours (compared to 7 hours for neutrophils) and suggests that early re-circulation occurs, as with lymphocytes. This method should allow them to establish sites of eosinophil destruction in health and disease, to quantify lung uptake in asthma, and to develop a clinically applicable 111In-labelled eosinophil scan.
