Novel Technology for Radiation Protection

The purpose of this project is to assess and compare the efficacy of different cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) formulation to mitigate lung injury following exposure to potentially lethal doses of radiation.

Radiation exposure to living tissue generates free radicals through ionizing reaction such as photoelectric effect, Compton and Auger effects.  Radiation induced lung damage (pneumonitis/fibrosis) is the leading cause of death in persons acutely exposed to radiation when gastrointestinal and hematopoietic syndromes are successfully treated. Our preliminary study has shown that CNPs protect from radiobiological effects of photons on healthy tissue. Successful completion would lead to an effective and safe method for restoring normal tissue function and improving survival following acute radiation exposure.