(Finance) – Improving knowledge on the mechanisms of radiation-induced tumor development is the objective of DISCOVER project, financed by the EU with over 1.3 million euros and coordinated by ENEA in collaboration with Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Germany), National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy (Hungary) and Oxford Brookes University (Great Britain).
The formation of radiation tumors is classically attributed to unrepaired or incorrectly repaired DNA damage. But recent data – explains theAENEAS – also suggest a contribution from the cellular microenvironment, questioning the conventional theory (target theory) of radiobiology.
“For this project we will use biological systems of different complexity and highly innovative approaches that will allow us to understand how the different cell types that make up the cerebellum react to moderate and low doses of radiation, contributing to tumor formation”, explains the ccoordinator of the project Simonetta Pazzaglia, head of the ENEA Biotecnologie RED Laboratory.
With the project partners, ENEA will aim to understand the mechanisms that lead to the development of cancer with particular attention to the role played by the cellular microenvironment which includes, for example, stromal cells, blood vessels, cytokines and many other circulating molecules that can influence the behavior of tumor cells and, consequently, the cancer development process .
“So, not only could direct DNA damage from radiation be at the origin of cancer, but also interactions between tumor cells and their surrounding environment could contribute to tumor development. And understanding these mechanisms could lead to new strategies for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer caused by radiation,” he concludes Crazy.
The DISCOVER project was funded under the first PIANO call, the new European coalition for radiation protection research which aims to improve the protection of citizens and the environment from natural, professional and medical exposure to ionizing radiation. Coordinated by the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), the coalition brings together 58 partners representing 22 European Union countries, the United Kingdom and Norway and six EU radiation protection research platforms and has a budget of 46 million euros, of which 65% is financed by the European Union’s Euratom program and the rest by member states.