What's New
Tony Brooks Chosen As Lauriston S. Taylor Lecturer
Congratulations to radiation biologist Dr. Antone "Tony" Brooks, a consultant to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Low Dose Radiation Research Program, on his selection to give the 36th Lauriston S. Taylor Lecture at the Annual Meeting of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). Brooks is former chief scientist for the U.S. Department of Energy's Low Dose Radiation Research Program. His lecture, titled "From the Field to the Laboratory and Back: The What Ifs, Wows, and Who Cares of Radiation Biology," will be a featured presentation at the meeting, which will be held March 12 and 13, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, Bethesda, Maryland.
Life Scientist Elected as Physics Councilor
Congratulations to Low Dose Program investigator Dr. Sylvain Costes, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who was recently elected to a 3-year term as Physics Councilor of the
Radiation Research Society. Costes has been an active member of the Society and a member of the Radiation Research Podcast Team since 2006. As Physics Councilor, he will serve on the Society's Board of Directors.
Japan's Nuclear Reactors
On Friday, March 11, the Japanese experienced the worst earthquake in their recorded history, followed by a devastating tsunami. These natural disasters have had a serious impact on several Japanese nuclear reactors, principally those at the Fukushima Daiichi site. The U.S. Department of Energy's Low Dose Radiation Program has been studying the biological effects of very low doses of ionizing radiation in relevant experimental systems for a decade. Program research has contributed significantly to the body of scientific understanding needed to inform public debate and future regulatory decision making.
To learn about nuclear power, safety, and regulatory protections, we recommend the following sources of useful information:
Additionally, we recommend you visit the "Ionizing Radiation Dose Ranges Charts" to gain a feel for the different amounts of exposures that humans may encounter.
About the program. The DOE Low Dose Radiation Research Program funds basic research to determine the responses induced by radiation exposures at doses of 10 centigray (cGy) and below.
The gray is the SI unit of absorbed radiation dose caused by ionizing radiation (e.g., X-rays).
One cGy is 10-2 Gy. Program research will provide a scientific underpinning for future radiation protection standards.
Since the Low Dose Program's beginning in 1999, the research focus has been study of cellular and molecular responses to doses of X-ray or gamma radiation that are at or near current workplace exposure limits.
Where research is done. Projects are funded through universities and through DOE National Laboratories. The focus is on determining the mechanistic basis for the interaction of low doses of radiation with biological systems.
These mechanistic studies are focused on DNA damage and repair, endogenous vs. radiation-induced oxidative damage, adaptive responses, bystander effects, genomic instability and genetic susceptibility. The research is conducted from the molecular to the organism level.
This site provides detailed information about
- The individual projects funded
- Abstracts of past research
- Publications that have resulted to date from this research
- Past and future directions of the Low Dose Program.
Modeling emphasis. To ensure that the data are carefully and appropriately evaluated, the Program is also funding projects on mathematical modeling to help identify research needs and integrate the basic data into useful models of radiation cancer risks.
Applications. Data from the Low Dose Program will support molecular and genetic epidemiology, generate biologically based risk models, and help define the role of individual genetic susceptibility in radiation-induced cancer risk. Such research will help ensure that the radiation protection standards are adequate and appropriate.
Security Screening Device Safety and Low Dose Radiation:
With the increasing use of whole body scanners at airports, and the potential for human exposures to very, very low doses of radiation, there are increasing questions about the amount of radiation to which travelers are exposed and potential effects. We will be posting more information on our website as we have it available. In the meantime, the Health Physics Society recently published a list of frequently asked. Thanks to the Health Physics Society for giving permission to publish their link.
Dr. Bobby Scott is profiled in the Indian Society for Radiation Biology's newsletter Radiation Science Today.
Low Dose Radiation Research Program Investigators' Workshop to be held May 9-11 in Bethesda, MD
This year's Low Dose Radiation Research Program Investigators' Workshop will be held in Bethesda, Maryland, beginning on Monday morning, May 9, 2011, and ending at noon on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. All activities will take place at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda located at One Bethesda Metro Center (7400 Wisconsin Avenue), Bethesda, MD.
The Workshop is intended to allow Primary Investigators to present recent progress and research results. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss successes, problems, and challenges. Each project P.I. must submit one abstract and bring at least one poster highlighting recent progress in their research. Project Co-P.I.s and collaborators may also submit abstracts and posters as appropriate.
Office of Science Early Career funding opportunity FY11
The Department of Energy is currently reviewing about 1,150 full applications for the FY 2011 Office of Science Early Career Research Program. Full applications were due November 9, 2010; the DOE is no longer accepting applications for this year’s program. Award notifications should begin in March 2011. Check this website for further updates.
DNA Double-Strand Break Repair Capacities Before and After Exposure to Low Dose Radiation
Health effects of low doses of ionizing radiation continue to be a matter of debate for concerns of radiological protection. Among the many types of DNA damage lesions induced by ionizing radiation, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are generally considered to be the most critical as their misrepair may initiate cancer and other diseases.
2010 Low Dose Radiation Research Program Investigators' Workshop
More than 150 people attended this year's workshop, held April 12-14, 2010 at the Renaissance M Street Hotel in Washington, D.C. | Event Slide Show
Joint Genome Institute's Community Sequencing Program Call for Proposals
DOE's Joint Genome Institute's (JGI's) Community Sequencing Program
(CSP) is accepting project proposals. At the Low Dose Program
Investigators' Meeting, the JGI's DOE Program Manager Dr. Dan Drell
encouraged Low Dose researchers to look at the CSP call and consider
projects that meet the criteria. See the CSP website for more information.
New Look to the Website
Because of new requirements for DOE program websites, it was necessary to move the Low Dose Radiation Program website from its home at Washington State University-Tri-Cities. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory now manages this Low Dose Radiation Research website for DOE.
Many thanks to former Low Dose Chief Scientist Tony Brooks and the website staff at WSU-TC for developing the site and helping transfer it to PNNL. If you have any questions or concerns about the website, have publications or other program information to submit for placement, please send them to Low Dose.
