VIM model: a novel model to depict the spatial heterogeneity of the radiation microenvironment

Radiation-induced disease (RID) is the most important factor limiting the radiotherapy dose for malignant tumors, especially for patients with organ insufficiency or chronic inflammation. In this paper, it studied the changes in the microenvironment after radiation exposure from the perspectives of molecular biology, cell biology and histopathology, and first proposed a novel model of the radiation microenvironment to depict radiation-induced spatial heterogeneity. The radiation microenvironment was divided into the VIM model: vascular microenvironment, inflammatory microenvironment, and metabolic microenvironment according to the special cell functions, molecular expressions and pathological structures after radiation. The structural functions of each microenvironment were explored to provide the new theoretical basis for molecular target prediction, radiation damage assessment, prevention and treatment of radiation-induced disease, and using radiation-induced liver injury as a template to depict the VIM model.