Serum RNA biomarkers for predicting survival in non-human primates following thoracic radiation

In a mass radiation exposure, the healthcare system may rely on differential expression of miRNA to determine exposure and effectively allocate resources. To this end, miRNome analysis was performed on non-human primate serum after whole thorax photon beam irradiation of 9.8 or 10.7 Gy with dose rate 600 cGy/min. Serum was collected up to 270 days after irradiation and sequenced to determine immediate and delayed effects on miRNA expression. Elastic net based GLM methods were used to develop models that predicted the dose vs. controls at 81% accuracy at Day 15. A three-group model at Day 9 achieved 71% accuracy in determining if an animal would die in less than 90 days, between 90 and 269 days, or survive the length of the study. At Day 21, we achieved 100% accuracy in determining whether an animal would later develop pleural effusion. These results demonstrate the potential ability of miRNAs to determine thorax partial-body irradiation dose and forecast survival or complications early following whole thorax irradiation in large animal models. Future experiments incorporating additional doses and independent animal cohorts are warranted to validate these results. Development of a serum miRNA assay will facilitate the administration of medical countermeasures to increase survival and limit normal tissue damage following a mass exposure.