Low Dose Research towards Multidisciplinary Integration

The upgrade of the facility for low dose rate gamma irradiation (FIGARO) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) was completed in December 2012. A report describing the methods of and results from the dosimetric measurements at the FIGARO irradiation facility has been prepared and is available at http://www.nrpa.no/dav/a8b1ac9e3c.pdf. In 2015, two technical documents were published by the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) to support the dosimetry for the DoReMi Open Access CloGiGat project. The first report concerns measurements on a PXI X-RAD 225 of the absorbed dose to water in a PMMA-enclosed water phantom. The measurements were performed by the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL) at the NRPA and the CERAD Center of Excellence in Environmental Radioactivity in May and September of 2014. The second report concerns air kerma in air measurements with Landauer nanoDots in Cs-137 and Co-60 beams. Reference exposures of nanoDots to known air kerma rates in Cs-137 and Co-60 beams were conducted at the SSDL at the NRPA in May, 2015. The nanoDot detectors and microStar reader were purchased by CERAD in 2015 for use at the FIGARO low dose Co-60 irradiation facility. The report establishes through measurements and Geant4 simulations that air kerma measurements in air with Landauer nanoDots should be conducted with buildup in Cs-137 and Co-60 beams. This applies also to air kerma in air calibration exposures at these beam qualities. The dosimetric capabilities of the nanoDots and microStar reader at FIGARO have been demonstrated for the DoReMi CloGiGat project and will be further documented in future publications from this project. The NRPA also participated in "Workshop on Infrastructure for Radiation Biology Research -Preparing for the Transfer from DoReMi to CONCERT", organized in Port Sitges outside Barcelona 27.-28. April 2015. The purpose of the workshop was to review existing facilities, biobanks, databases and analytical platforms (both those relevant for radiation protection Research and those used in other types of biomedical reserach) for open access in European reserach and to identify future needs for research on low dose rates. Based on presentations of existing European capacities, a draft roadmap document for further development of infrastructures for low dose research was prepared. DoReMi 4th Periodic and final meeting took place in Budapest, 8-10 December 2015. The event hosted over 100 participants from over 35 different organisations across Europe. Results from research projects within work packages 2-7 were presented, including publications, education and training programs, and infrastructures produced through the DoReMi network. Overall, the meeting highlighted the success of the collaboration between individuals and groups involved in DoReMi. The material presented illustrated that the DoReMi group has been rigorous in their pursuit of integrating low dose radiation research in Europe.

The aim of the DoReMi is to promote sustainable integration of low dose risk research in Europe in order to more effectively resolve the key policy questions identified by the High Level Expert Group on Low Dose Risk Research (www.hleg.de), namely the sha pe/s of dose response relationship/s, variation in risk between individuals, tissue sensitivity for cancer, radiation quality, risks from internal exposures and non-cancer effects. The DoReMi provides an operational tool for the further development of the MELODI platform (Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Risk Research Initiative) consisting of major national bodies and research programmes that have long term commitment in low dose risk research in Europe.The Joint Programme of Activities of the DoReMi includes: (i) a Joint Programme of Research; (ii) a Joint Programme of Integration to realise a successful strategy for sustainable integration of the key players in Europe; and (iii) a Joint Programme for the Spreading of Excellence, covering in particul ar knowledge management, training & mobility and its implementation. The project has a multi-disciplinary approach including interfaces with the broader (i.e. non-radiation) biological, toxicological and epidemiological communities. The DoReMi is expected to lead to sustainable integration of low dose risk research in Europe which, in the longer term, would lead to an effective approach to resolution of the key remaining policy questions in radiation protection. The Norwegian part of the project will focu s on using the UMB irradiation facility. The facility will be upgraded, calibrated and prepared for in vivo irradiation experiments of animals according to the needs of other DoReMi partners. The objective is to open the facility to DoReMi participants fo r beam time of 4-6 weeks per year (total 20 weeks over a 4 year period) as part of WP4: Infrastructures. Norewgian partners will also take part in WP2: Structuring of MELODI.