Effects of Low Doses of Radiation on DNA Repair
Eric Ackerman, Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Energy, Low Dose Radiation Research Program
The Effects of Low Doses of Radiation on DNA Repair project team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is studying the cellular repair system that mends different types of damage caused by low doses of ionizing radiation. Scientists are also examining the repair process for DNA damage produced by the normal internal operation of the cell. Using a very sensitive technique called host cell reactivation assay (HCR), we are quantitatively measuring the repair of each type of DNA damage and, thereby, measuring if the cellular repair system itself has been damaged. We are also determining if unique forms of DNA repair system damage are induced by low doses of cosmic radiation exposure present during space missions.
