DOE program--developing a scientific basis for responses to low-dose exposures: impact on dose-response relationships

The DOE Low Dose Radiation Research Program focuses on biological mechanisms involved in response to low doses of both low and high-LET radiation (< 0.1Gy). This research program represents a merging of new technologies with cutting edge biological techniques associated with genomics. This merger enables observation of radiation-induced cellular and molecular changes previously undetectable. These low-dose responses define mechanisms of interaction of radiation with living systems, and characterize the shape of dose-response. The research from this program suggests radiation paradigms regarding the involvement of radiation in the carcinogenic process. New biological phenomena observed at low doses include initial radiation-induced DNA damage and repair, changes in gene expression, adaptive responses and bystander effects. However, information from this cellular-molecular level cannot be directly extrapolated to risks in human populations. Links must be carefully developed between dose-response relationships at the cell and tissue levels and risk to human populations. The challenge and the ultimate goal of the Program is to determine if basic scientific data can be combined with more traditional epidemiological methods to improve the estimation of radiation risk from low level radiation exposures.