Radiation Biodosimetry: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go

Presented by. Abyabalam Balajee, Ph.D.

A Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center (HDIAC) webinar will be held on Thursday, October 19, 2023, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT.

Registration link:  https://hdiac.org/webinars/radiation-biodosimetry-where-we-are-and-where-we-need-to-go/

In the case of radiological/nuclear (R/N) mass casualty incidents, several thousands of humans may be exposed to ionizing radiation. Timely assessment of radiation dose is critical for making an appropriate "lifesaving" clinical decision for those with acute high-radiation dose exposures. The dicentric chromosome assay is considered the "gold standard" for biodosimetry, but its laborious and time-consuming nature makes it impractical for large-scale incidents. In the last few decades, a plethora of biodosimetry tools has emerged in cytogenetics, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Additionally, robotic high-throughput platforms have been developed for some of the biodosimeters that will enable an effective medical triage in the aftermath of R/N mass casualty incidents. In this webinar, the pros and cons of some of the existing biodosimetry tools as well as the need to discover predictive organ-specific biomarkers for human health monitoring will be discussed. The following topics will be covered:

• Introduction to radiation biodosimetry
• Available biodosimetry tools for triage
• Point of care biodosimetry tools
• Current limitations of proof-of-concept tools
• Future developments and perspectives