[RTB Roster]

The Radiation Therapeutics and Biology [RTB] Study Section reviews applications dealing with therapeutic interactions of ionizing radiation, radionuclides, electromagnetic radiation, and heat at the molecular, cellular, organ and patient levels.  This includes applications in which dose, dose rate, type of radiation, and quality of radiation are variables.

Specific areas covered by RTB include:

• Basic molecular/cellular-radiation/thermal interactions at therapeutic doses:  radiation chemistry, DNA repair, cell cycle regulation, hypoxia, signal transduction, apoptosis, heat shock proteins, growth factors, cytokines, oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species, tumor suppressor genes, cytogenetics and genomic instability.
  
  
• Mechanisms and applications of modifiers of radiation response (including radiation sensitizers, radioprotectors, fractionation and other modulators).
  
  
• Combination of radiation with novel agents (including those targeting growth factors, signaling pathways, or tumor angiogenesis).
  
  
• Physics of treatment planning, treatment delivery, and dosimetry of brachytherapy, intravascular brachytherapy, thermal therapy, targeted radionuclide therapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT) and heavy ion or neutron capture therapy.
  
  
• Technology and outcome analysis methodologies related to radiation treatment and planning.
  
  
• Imaging and image analysis as it relates to targeting of radiation and assessment of response.
  
  
• Therapies, including: intensity modulation radiation therapy, conformal therapy, tomotherapy, hyperthermia, PDT (including interstitial PDT), photoimmunotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, intravascular radiotherapy, and radiation-induced gene therapy.
  
  
• Pre-clinical studies including: pharmacokinetics, response assessment, efficacy; and internal dosimetry of targeted radio labeled agents (including: antibodies, peptides, oligonucleotides, and liposomes).
  
  
• Feasibility studies to establish proof-of-principle of novel radiation therapeutics.
  
  
• Radiation carcinogenesis: including the physical and chemical processes leading to DNA damage and cancer.
  
  
• Investigations of mechanisms of DNA damage and repair.

RTB has the following shared interests within the ONC IRG:

• With Cancer Genetics [CG]: DNA damage and repair topics could be assigned to RTB when relevant to biological response to radiation.
  
  
• With Cancer Biomarkers [CBSS]: Imaging studies related to diagnosis, and prognosis could be assigned to CBSS, imaging related to optimization, targeting or implementation of radiation therapeutics could be assigned to RTB.
  
  
• With Cancer Immunopathology and Immunotherapy [CII]: Studies that focus on engineering or design of antibodies or other pharmaceuticals for radiotherapeutic targeting could be assigned to CII.  Proposals that focus on dosimetry, dose rates, or effects of isotopes on antibody binding could be assigned to RTB.
  
  
• With Developmental Therapeutics [DT]: In general, the development of new approaches to treat cancer could be assigned to DT.  Studies of novel biologic modifiers or cytotoxic drugs used to modulate the effects of ionizing radiation, electromagnetic radiation, radionuclide delivery, or heat could be assigned to RTB.  Studies involving combinations of IR (radiation) and cytotoxic drugs and/or biologic modifiers that emphasize radiation therapy could be assigned to RTB.
  
  
• With Clinical Oncology [CONC]: Phase-1, -2, or -3 clinical trials, including those with translational emphasis on radiation therapeutics, could be assigned to CONC.

RTB has the following shared interests outside the ONC IRG:

• With the Biological Chemistry and Macromolecular Biophysics [BCMB] IRG: In general, applications with focus on the basic structure determination, drug design and medicinal chemistry may be appropriate for BCMB.  Applications with focus on therapeutic interactions of ionizing radiation, radionuclides, radiation chemistry, and radiation effects on DNA may be appropriate for RTB.
  
  
• With the Cell Biology [CB] IRG: In general, applications with focus on a basic cell process or an emerging cell biologic approached may be appropriate for CB. Applications with focus on radiation carcinogenesis, basic molecular and cellular-radiation interactions may be appropriate for RTB.
  
  
• With the Genes, Genomes and Genetics [GGG] IRG: In general, if the focus is basic mechanistic studies of DNA repair pathways, genetic stabilities, DNA replication and cell cycle control, and transcription mechanisms and regulation, assignment to GGG may be appropriate.  If the focus is investigation of mechanisms of DNA damage and repair associated with radiation carcinogenesis and therapeutic processes, assignment to RTB may be appropriate.
  
  
• With the Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies [BST] IRG: In general, if the focus is modeling technology or related analysis, drug delivery, bioinformatics or database technology, or statistical methods for analyzing data, assignment to BST may be appropriate.  If the focus is experimental, computational or statistical investigation of problems and questions related to radiation dosimetry and therapeutic responses, assignment to RTB may be appropriate.
  
  
• With the Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging, and Bioengineering [SBIB] IRG:  In general, if the objective of the study is to address development of imaging technology and instruments for diagnosis or treatment, the assignment to SBIB may be appropriate.  If the focus of the application is the use of imaging and image analysis for radiotherapy and assessment of responses, assignment to RTB may be appropriate.
  
  
• With the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Neuroscience [MDCN] IRG:  In general, applications with focus on survival or death, free radicals and ROS generation in the context of normal neuornal physiology may be appropriate for MDCN.  Applications with focus on ROS, free radicals generation or survival death pathway as an effect or consequence of ionizing or non-ionizing radiation may be appropriate for RTB.