Radiation damage at cellular and DNA level

1
Radiation damage at cellular and DNA level

• Petteri Nieminen
• ESA/ESTEC
• Maria Grazia Pia
• INFN Genova and CERN

2
Simulation of radiation damage at cellular level

• Geant3 (and other legacy packages)
• traditional digitization-style approach
• physics processes generate macroscopic quantities
  (dose)
• interfaced to independent parameterised models to
  evaluate cell damage, cell survival etc.
• Geant4
• native approach, thanks to Geant4 powerful OO
  design
• capability to model DNA as a geometry in Geant4
• capability to handle biochemical processes in
  Geant4
• Geant4-DNA Collaboration
• ESA General Study, in collaboration with INFN

3
ESA Space Environment Effects Analysis Section
Interactions of radiation with biological
systems at cellular and DNA level
a, C, Fe, ...

• New Geant4 -based activity in the ESA General
  Studies Programme
• Biological and chemical factors...
• Contractor INFN Genova network of 20 scientists
  at INFN, CERN, ESA, and the Italian National
  Institute for Cancer Research
• Heavy ions particularly harmful

Astronaut safety, exobiology