Co-Directors

Mats Ljungman, PhD

Randy Ten Haken, PhD

The Radiation Sciences Program is a newly formed Cancer Center Program with two chief interest groups.

The biology interest group brings together investigators interested in the basic biology of DNA damage responses in cells. DNA damage is a major initiator of cancer and most neoplastic cells show evidence of self-inflicted DNA damage due to replication stress induced by inappropriate activation of proliferation signals. Moreover, many DNA-damaging agents, such as ionizing radiation, are used as anticancer agents and the dose-limiting side effects are in many cases attributable to DNA damage-induced toxicity in normal tissue. Thus, a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of DNA damage responses are important for our understanding of carcinogenesis as well as for the design of improved anti-cancer treatments and the sparing of normal tissue. Investigators in the Radiation Sciences Program is especially interested in discovering new molecular targets that can be exploited to improve radiotherapy of tumors and to enhance resistance of normal tissues.

The basic research areas of interest for the investigators in the Radiation Sciences Program include:

• induction of DNA damage

• mechanisms of DNA repair

• DNA damage signal transduction

• activation of cell cycle checkpoints

• mechanisms of DNA damage-induced cell death

• gene therapy for cancer treatment

• molecular targets of radiosensitization

• DNA damage-induced gene expression

• mechanism of replication stress in cancer cells

• genome instability

The Medical Physics Interest Group focuses on the medical application of physics to the practice of radiation oncology. This group has a long track record of developing novel highly conformal radiation therapy techniques. This group has strong interactions with many clinical programs in the Cancer Center including Head and Neck, GI, Lung, Breast, and Prostate. In addition, this group has worked with clinicians in neuro-oncology and with the new Molecular Imaging Program to develop new methods of functional imaging in the CNS.

Specific topics of interest include developing new methods of

• dose calculation

• optimization

• assessment and correction of geometric uncertainties

• image registration

• constructing 4-D models of patients for planning

• treatment delivery

• imaging patients or tumors in real time during treatment

The major goal of the Radiation Sciences Program is to provide an academic structure to bring laboratory scientists and clinicians together to stimulate collaborations and initiate potential program projects and clinical trials.