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Rapid assessment of radiation exposure in human blood

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This technology is a biodosimeter capable of rapidly detecting and assessing the degree of radiation exposure using human blood samples.

Unmet Need: Effective biodosimetry to triage populations following large-scale nuclear events

Following a large-scale radiological or nuclear event, large numbers of people may be exposed to ionizing radiation and require rapid and dose-dependent medical treatment. Current biodosimetry methods are time-intensive and difficult to scale up to meet the demands of such events. Therefore, there is a need for a more effective tool capable of identifying and measuring human exposure to ionizing radiation that can scale up to quickly assess larger sample sizes.

The Technology: protein biomarker-based biodosimeter for rapid assessment of radiation exposure

This technology uses a sandwich ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) immunoassay approach able to rapidly detect and quantify a panel of radio-responsive intracellular and plasma proteins in the peripheral blood of individuals recently exposed to ionizing radiation. The presence of these proteins can be used to accurately predict the degree of radiation exposure up to one-week post-exposure. The technology is capable of testing 40 samples in <4 hours or 400 samples in ~15 hours, ensuring same-day diagnosis and thereby allowing medical providers to more quickly address the exposure and begin treatment.

This technology has been validated using animal models.

Applications:

  • Mass-screening of individuals who may have been exposed to radiation after a radiological event
  • Biomarkers for radiation research
  • Biomarkers for the analysis of radiation therapy effectiveness
  • Biomarkers to predict radiation-induced toxicity

Advantages:

  • Can quickly scale up to analyze large populations
  • Allows measurement of radiation dosage in individuals exposed to ionizing radiation
  • Persistent expression of radiation-induced blood protein biomarkers up to a week after radiation exposure
  • Bioassay device and kits can be rapidly deployed to a centralized or clinical laboratory
  • Potential to be engineered into a simplified, in-field tool to further increase the speed and efficiency of radiation exposure triaging after radiological events

Lead Inventor:

Helen Turner, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending

Related Publications:

  • Kanagaraj K, Phillippi MA, Ober EH, Shuryak I, Kleiman NJ, Olson J, Schaaf G, Cline JM, Turner HC. BAX and DDB2 as biomarkers for acute radiation exposure in the human blood ex vivo and non-human primate models. Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 20;14(1):19345. PMID: 39164366. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39164366/).

  • Wang Q, Bacon BA, Taveras M, Phillippi MA, Wu X, Broustas CG, Shuryak I, Turner HC. Biomarkers for Radiation Biodosimetry and Correlation with Hematopoietic Injury in a Humanized Mouse Model. Radiat Res. 2024 Sep 1;202(3):541-551. PMID: 39034036. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39034036/).

  • Nemzow L, Boehringer T, Mayenburg J, Beaton-Green LA, Wilkins RC, Turner HC. “Interlaboratory comparison of high-throughput protein biomarker assay quantifications for radiation exposure classification.” PLoS One. 2024 Apr 29;19(4): e0301418. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38683751/)

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