International Experts on Radiation Exposure Assessment to Convene at AFRRI

Newswise — The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences' Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute will host a two-day workshop for a select group of scientists developing methods to assess and treat military and civilian casualties of partial-body radiation exposure, May 5 " 6. The workshop will focus on ways to determine a patient's injury from absorbed dose and dose distribution, the better to prepare for emergencies that might result in mass radiation-exposure casualties.

Because most casualties in urban areas likely will be partial-body exposures, treatment based on whole-body dose assessments may not be appropriate. Rapid diagnostic methods are essential because vital systems such as bone marrow, the gastrointestinal tract and skin are among organs critically affected by radiation.

Researchers from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom will develop a consensus on the best ways to address specific use of partial-body diagnostic biomarkers in medical management treatment decisions.

The Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute is charged with executing the DoD Medical Radiological Defense Research Program. Its civilian and active-duty military personnel conduct exploratory and developmental research to identify and develop medical countermeasures against ionizing radiation. Core areas of study include prevention, assessment, and treatment of radiological injuries, seeking to develop prophylactic and therapeutic drugs that prevent and treat radiation injuries. AFRRI's radiation sources are licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

USU also conducts sponsored research in the combined sciences, including military-relevant research in parasitology, infectious diseases, treatment of traumatic injury, and other issues related to health, war, and national disaster.