Abstract:
Modernizing biodosimetry: high-throughput methods development and automation
Biodosimetry uses measured biological endpoints to estimate the dose to which a person or population may have been exposed. A number of assays are available and well characterized to measure cellular or subcellular damage (i.e. dicentric chromosome assay (DCA), cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay (CBMN), translocation assay (FISH) and the phosphorylated gamma-H2AX assay (γ-H2AX)), and many of these have traditionally been done by manual microscopy. This can be time-consuming and laborious, and is not well-suited for emergency response in the case of large-scale radiological/nuclear events.
Advances in technology and software have since facilitated increased automation of these assays, and there has been great progress in modernizing the assays accordingly. One such technology is the imaging flow cytometer (IFC), a combination of flow cytometer with imaging capabilities. The CBMN assay has been adapted to the IFC (CBMN-IFC) such that processed samples are automatically acquired, imaged and analyzed with minimal user intervention. New dose response calibration curves have now been generated and tested in order to validate the assay. Additional work is now being done to similarly adapt other biodosimetry assays.
This seminar will present an overview of biodosimetry, the work that has been done to date, as well as highlight the possibilities going forward for modernization of the assays.