Geant4-deoxyribonucleic Acid Simulation of Radiation-induced Deoxyribonucleic Acid Damage in a Human Cancer Cell Line

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Biology
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Ionizing radiation induces DNA damage via direct and indirect pathways.
• Understanding radiation-induced DNA damage is crucial for advancing cancer therapy.
• Helium ion beams are being explored for their potential in charged-particle cancer treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and quantify the biological response and DNA damage from ion beams using Monte Carlo simulations.
• To assess the potential benefits of helium ion beams in cancer therapy.
• To analyze DNA damage endpoints like single-strand break (SSB) and double-strand break (DSB) ratios.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Geant4-DNA Monte Carlo toolkit for simulations.
• Simulated the MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cancer cell line.
• Irradiated the cell line with helium ion beams of varying linear energy transfer (LET).

Main Results:

• Damage yield and SSB/DSB ratio were consistent with published simulation studies.
• Simulated DSB yield was higher compared to experimental data from published studies.
• Demonstrated the capability of Geant4-DNA in mechanistic understanding and quantification of DNA damage.

Conclusions:

• Geant4-DNA simulations provide valuable mechanistic insights into radiation-induced DNA damage.
• Quantification of DNA damage in human cancer cell lines is feasible with MC techniques.
• Further research is needed to reconcile simulation results with experimental findings for DSB yields.