Description

This course provides an introduction to principles and concepts underlying the effects of ionizing radiation at the molecular, cellular and whole-tissue level. Topics covered include radiation damage to DNA, DNA damage repair mechanisms, cell-cycle kinetics (repopulation effects), Linear Energy Transfer (LET) effects, oxygen effects, the Four R's of radiation therapy, genomic instability, neoplastic transformation, apoptosis, and cancer. Examples and discussion related to radiation therapy treatment planning will be covered, including the biologically equivalent dose (BED) and equivalent uniform dose (EUD) concepts. Human health effects relevant to radiation protection will also be covered.

Course Objectives:

Introduce principles and concepts related to radiation therapy treatment planning and radiation protection. The course emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving skills over rote memorization. Students are expected to become proficient at applying concepts and problem solving skills to gain insight into biological phenomena as well as the biologically basis for radiation protection and radiation therapy.

Prerequisites:

HSCI 312 (or 512), PHYS 220 and 221 (General Physics), BIOL 110 and 111 (or BIOL 415). Authorized equivalent courses or consent of instructor may be used in satisfying course pre- and co-requisites.

Textbooks:

• E.J. Hall, Radiobiology for the Radiologist, 5th Edition, Philadelphia, Lippincott,Williams and Wilkins, 2000. Required.
• A.H.W. Nias, An Introduction to Radiobiology, Second Edition, John Wiley and Sons, 1998 (reprinted in 2000). Optional.
• B. Alberts, A. Johnson, J. Lewis, M. Raff, K. Roberts, P. Walter, Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th Edition, Garland Science, a member of the Taylor & Francis Group, New York, NY 2002. Optional.
• Selected readings from the literature.

Topics covered include:

• Time course of radiation effects
• Key concepts from radiation physics and dosimetry (review)
• Stochastic aspects of the radiation field (microdosimetry)
• DNA, chromatin, cell kinetics
• DNA damage
• Mechanisms of DNA damage repair
• Kinetics of DNA damage repair
• Point mutations and chromosome aberrations
• Cell death and the linear-quadratic (LQ) model
• Repopulation effects, LET effects, oxygen effects, cell-cycle effects
• Tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP)
• Other indicators of radiation therapy treatment effectiveness (e.g., BED, EUD)
• Genomic instability and cell transformation
• Apoptosis
• Bystander effects
• Cancer