Research Institutions
Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute
Biological Bases for Radiation Adaptive Responses in the Lung—Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM USA
Contact: Dr. Bobby R. Scott
Program Objective
Our research focuses on elucidating the biological bases for radiation adaptive responses in the lung and for suppressing lung cancer, and to use the knowledge gained to produce an improved systems-biology-based, risk model for lung cancer induction by low-dose, low linear-energy-transfer (LET) radiation. Research was initiated in October 2009.
This research should help foster a new era of low-dose radiation risk/benefit assessment. It will have important implications for possible use of low-dose diagnostic radiation (e.g., X-rays) in cancer therapy. It will also have important implications for use of low-dose, low-LET radiation to prevent lung cancer in high-risk groups (e.g., heavy smokers).
Hypotheses Being Tested
- Low-dose radiation adaptive responses in the lung are regulated via epigenetic reprogramming that manifests through activation of specific paracrine factors, increased DNA repair capacity, sensitization of cell death pathways, and modulation of the epigenome and immune system.
- The rise in lung cancer risk after moderate and high radiation doses and dose rates relates to silencing of adaptive-response genes via mutation induction and epigenetic reprogramming.
Subprojects
- Biological Bases for Radiation Adaptive Responses that Protect Against Lung Epithelial Transformation and Cancer (Yong Lin)
- Biological Bases for Lung Cancer Suppression by Low-Dose-Radiation-Stimulated Immunity (Julie Wilder)
- Sequence Variation in Radiation Adaptive Response Genes and Gene Promoter Methylation in Radon-Associated Lung Cancer (Steve Belinsky)
- Modeling Radiation Adaptive Responses in the Lung Using a Systems Biology Approach (Bobby Scott)
Website(s)
Radiation Resources
Research Staff
Steven A. Belinsky, Ph.D., Co-Investigator
Yong Lin, Ph.D., Co-Investigator
Bobby R. Scott, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Julie A. Wilder, Ph.D., Co-Investigator
