Written by Adrian McConnell, Chief Executive, CO Research Trust

Newcastle University recently concluded their Identification of Protein Markers in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes Following Carbon Monoxide Exposure project. You can read the final report here.

As many of you know, Carbon monoxide (CO) is often called the “silent killer.” You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it; but it can make people seriously ill, and in the worst cases, it can be fatal.

Every year in the UK, CO is linked to around 50 deaths and thousands of hospital visits. But the real numbers could be much higher. Why? Because CO poisoning is incredibly difficult to confirm.

That’s the problem this research at Newcastle University aims to tackle. Right now, the main way doctors test for CO exposure is by measuring carboxyhaemoglobin in the blood. The trouble is, CO doesn’t hang around. Once a person is taken away from the source and given fresh air or oxygen, the levels in their blood drop quickly. By the time they reach hospital, the test might look normal, even though damage may already have been done to the brain, heart, or other organs.

So, the researchers at Newcastle University asked: can we find a longer-lasting signal of CO exposure inside the body? Something that remains even after the CO itself has gone.

To answer this, they focused on white blood cells, which play a key role in our immune system. The team carefully exposed these cells to CO in the lab and looked at how the cells reacted.

Specifically, they measured changes in the activity of certain genes, the instructions inside our cells that get switched on or off depending on what’s happening around them.

The results were interesting. They found that several genes behaved differently after exposure to CO. One gene, called NOS3, stayed altered even after the CO was removed. That’s exciting because it suggests the body leaves behind a kind of “fingerprint” of exposure — one that could, in future, be detected through a simple blood test.

The study also compared cells from people who smoke with those from non-smokers. This matters because cigarette smoke contains CO, so smokers are already carrying higher levels in their bodies. The researchers discovered that smokers’ cells responded in slightly different ways. Understanding these differences will be vital if a new test is going to work reliably for everyone.

So, what does this all mean? 

Well, it’s an important first step. The work shows that there are real, measurable changes in blood cells after CO exposure. But so far, this has only been shown in the lab. The next stage is to test whether the same “fingerprints” appear in real patients who turn up at hospital with suspected CO poisoning. That will take time, resources, and close collaboration with healthcare professionals working on the front line.

We funded this project because we believe it could transform the way CO poisoning is diagnosed. Imagine if doctors had a reliable test that worked hours after exposure - fewer missed cases, faster treatment, and ultimately, more lives saved.

It’s early days, but this is exactly the sort of progress that motivates us as a charity. Step by step, we’re making the invisible threat of carbon monoxide a little easier to see.