IDDRRA: A novel platform, based on Geant4-DNA to quantify DNA damage by ionizing radiation

Area of Science:

• Computational Biology
• Radiation Physics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Accurate modeling of DNA damage response to ionizing radiation is crucial for understanding cellular effects.
• Monte Carlo (MC) simulations offer high accuracy in simulating the interaction of radiation with matter.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce IDDRRA, a novel computational platform for scoring radiation-induced DNA damage using MC simulations.
• To provide a validated tool for studying DNA damage response to ionizing radiation.

Main Methods:

• IDDRRA software integrates the Geant4-DNA toolkit with custom Python and C++ algorithms.
• Developed tools for DNA molecule design, GUI integration, output analysis (energy deposition, Single Strand Breaks (SSB), Double Strand Breaks (DSB), Cluster Damage Sites (CDS)), and probabilistic DNA repair modeling using MC techniques.

Main Results:

• Presents the first set of benchmarks for the IDDRRA tool, enabling user validation and diverse DNA simulation starting points.
• Benchmarks include various particles (electrons, positrons, protons) and DNA molecule configurations.

Conclusions:

• The IDDRRA tool has been successfully developed and demonstrated for modeling DNA irradiation experiments.
• IDDRRA is expandable, allowing users to contribute new benchmarks and applications, with future updates including indirect damage quantification.