Radiation Dose Estimation by Automated Cytogenetic Biodosimetry.

Journal: Radiation protection dosimetry
Published Date: Dec 1, 2016

Abstract

The dose from ionizing radiation exposure can be interpolated from a calibration curve fit to the frequency of dicentric chromosomes (DCs) at multiple doses. As DC counts are manually determined, there is an acute need for accurate, fully automated biodosimetry calibration curve generation and analysis of exposed samples. Software, the Automated Dicentric Chromosome Identifier (ADCI), is presented which detects and discriminates DCs from monocentric chromosomes, computes biodosimetry calibration curves and estimates radiation dose. Images of metaphase cells from samples, exposed at 1.4-3.4 Gy, that had been manually scored by two reference laboratories were reanalyzed with ADCI. This resulted in estimated exposures within 0.4-1.1 Gy of the physical dose. Therefore, ADCI can determine radiation dose with accuracies comparable to standard triage biodosimetry. Calibration curves were generated from metaphase images in ~10 h, and dose estimations required ~0.8 h per 500 image sample. Running multiple instances of ADCI may be an effective response to a mass casualty radiation event.

Authors

  • Peter K Rogan
    Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry University of Western Ontario, London, Canada N6A 2C8 Canada.
  • Yanxin Li
    Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada.
  • Ruth C Wilkins
    Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau, Health Canada, 775 Brookfield Rd., K1A 1C1, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
  • Farrah N Flegal
    Biodosimetry Emergency Response Laboratory, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, 20 Forest Avenue, Deep River, ON K0J 1P0.
  • Joan H M Knoll
    Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada; Molecular Diagnostics Division, Laboratory Medicine Program, London Health Sciences Centre, ON, Canada; Cytognomix Inc., London, ON, Canada.

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