Events

CHAIRPERSON

Dr Connor Graham, Asia Research Institute, and Tembusu College, National University of Singapore

ABSTRACT

Reports of past radiation/nuclear accidents such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and the radiation leaks at the Fukushima have triggered concern and even panic among members of the general public. These accidents and other occupational/environmental clean-up processes could result in prolonged low dose radiation exposure over a period of time. Workers in a nuclear/radiation facility are provided with physical dosimeters which allow the dose estimation by concerned authorities. However, there is no information available on radiation effects on organs and tissues or on differences in individual radiosensitivity from such dosimeters.

Biological dosimetry is a section of dosimetry which uses biological samples to determine the dose to which the samples are exposed. Biological dosimetry has been used in estimating the dose retrospectively in radiological accidents and to determining the dose in a population is important in mass casualty situations. Such a technique is also useful in occupational exposures. Radiation emergency preparedness plan requires adequate estimation of dose received for efficient medical assistance of victims. In 1986, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published a technical report to address the issue of biological dosimetry with details on the various biological indicators and possible biological radiation effects Guidelines were provided on how biological dosimetry could be employed. IAEA has revised the guidelines for biodosimetry in the subsequent years (2001 and 2011). The third edition (2011), co-sponsored by the Pan American Health Organisation and the World Health Organisation, was extensively updated to reflect the technical progress made in biological dosimetry during the past decade. An specialist incident and emergency centre manages a response and assistance network among IAEA member states.

Historically, studies on the effects of low dose radiation in human cells and animal models paved the way for setting radiation protection standards and guidelines by international organisations. I will discuss how identification of additional biomarkers will greatly impact the emergency preparedness and response protocols in communicating the risks involved with radiation exposures as well as in facilitating triage process during mass casualties. I will also discuss the progress made in radiation biodosimetry over the years and how they have been used in radiation emergency response and protection.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

M. Prakash Hande is currently working as an Associate Professor at the Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS and a Fellow at Tembusu College. He received his PhD in Radiation Biology and a Masters in Public Health in Occupational and Environmental Health. Dr Hande has worked at the following institutions before joining NUS as a faculty member in 2002: Department of Radiobiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India; Osaka University Medical School, Japan; Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands; Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, Vancouver, Canada; and Columbia University, New York, USA. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles in international journals such as Nature Genetics, Current Biology, Journal of Cell Biology, American Journal of Human Genetics, Cell, Genes and Development, PNAS, and Science. His current research interests are: telomeres and telomerase in ageing and cancer, experimental cancer therapeutics and biomarkers of radiation exposure. Dr Hande teaches senior seminars such as Biomedicine and Singapore Society and Radiation and Society in Tembusu College. He was a Consultant to the Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria in 2015 -2016 during his sabbatical leave from NUS.

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