Radiobiology: state of the present art. A conference report

To review the present state of the art of the major current research areas in radiobiology in the form of a conference report.

To celebrate their 50th anniversary, the Dutch Radiobiology Society recently held a meeting entitled "50 Years of Radiation Science in The Netherlands: From Molecular Research to Medical Application". Speakers were attracted from the USA and various European countries, covering topics including hypoxia, genomics and proteomics, DNA repair, DNA damage and signalling, chromosomal instability, stem cells, and normal tissue responses. Given the occasion, a history of Dutch radiobiology was also presented.

Understanding the molecular pathways influencing the radiation response of cells, tumours and normal tissues has progressed dramatically over the last decades. Papers presented at this meeting showed that this understanding is leading to new and more effective ways to treat cancer with radiation.