[ RadSafe ] RE: ASU leads $40 million effort to rapidly assessradiation exposures

Wed Jan 6 10:40:40 CST 2010

>   These folks are not unhappy with their good fortune. $40.3 M is a 
> nice grant, eh?  I just hope the system will be deployable.  

Deployable at $40.3M? You must be kidding. 

At 0.43M, may be (but so much less happiness...).

:-)

best of luck during 2010 to all listmembers,

Dimiter

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> Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Re: ASU leads $40 million effort to rapidly assessradiation exposures
> Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 11:40:40 -0500
> From: "McClung, Danny" <danny.k.mcclung at va.gov>
> To: "Jennifer M Anderson" <Jennifer.Anderson at inl.gov>, <radsafe at radlab.nl>
> 
> Lurkers are the future of Radsafe.  
>   These folks are not unhappy with their good fortune. $40.3 M is a 
> nice grant, eh?  I just hope the system will be deployable.  
> ________________________________
> 
> From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl on behalf of Jennifer M Anderson
> Sent: Wed 1/6/2010 10:50 AM
> To: radsafe at radlab.nl
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] Re: ASU leads $40 million effort to rapidly assessradiation exposures
> 
> 
> 
> Am I missing something here?  What part of this "new" Biodosimetry Assay
> System is any faster than current techniques?  (such as hair samples,
> gamma spec of blood samples, pancake probe in the armpit, etc)   They are
> proposing an "8 hour turnaround" time.
> 
> In addition, I always thought the radiological "threat" of a dirty bomb
> was just contamination and not a significant dose to people, hence the
> word dirty.  So, how does the "threat" of a dirty bomb relate to this
> research?
> 
> A lurker that has come out of her shell for a little bit; please be kind. 
> :)
> Thanks,
> Jennifer
> 
> **The views expressed are strictly my own and not of the Idaho National
> Laboratory**
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Message: 10
> Date: Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:23:33 -0800
> From: "Cary Renquist" <cary.renquist at ezag.com>
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] ASU leads $40 million effort to rapidly assess
>                  radiation exposures
> To: <radsafe at radlab.nl>
> Message-ID:
> 
> <C3973DA2E426594A8EC6DC90DB0540A004FB9BD8 at ipl-mail.ipl.isotopeproducts.com>
> 
> Content-Type: text/plain;                charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> The goal of the project is to deliver a Biodosimetry Assay System that
> would assess the amount of ionizing radiation an individual had absorbed
> in the event of exposure.
> 
> ASU leads $40 million effort to rapidly assess radiation exposures
>    http://bit.ly/79xbPP
> 
> Dec. 21, 2009 TEMPE, Ariz.--Arizona State University will lead a $40.8
> million, multi-institutional research program to develop systems that
> would rapidly measure an individual's level of exposure to radiation in
> the event of a radiological or nuclear incident. In the event of a
> large-scale disaster, such a system would ensure that first responders
> have the information necessary to provide appropriate medical treatment.
> 
> The five-year contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human
> Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)
> emphasizes the development of prototypes that would enable more rapid
> triage of patients than is currently possible.
> 
> "With the proliferation of advanced radiological materials in hospitals,
> clinics or nuclear facilities throughout the world, the risks and
> threats of a 'dirty bomb' incident or similar nuclear disaster remains
> very real," said Carl Yamashiro, PhD, the principal investigator at
> ASU's Biodesign Institute who will direct the effort. "We have assembled
> a dream team of institutions and companies to catalyze our team's
> research and discovery efforts, and translate the advances into a
> field-deployable technology."
> 
> ASU will oversee the research program management, coordination and
> integration necessary for efficient and effective development of the
> system.
> 
> "Arizona State University has focused its world-class research
> enterprise on solving many of the most serious problems facing
> humanity," said ASU President Michael M. Crow. "This award recognizes
> our leadership in research that involves the coordinated effort of a
> large, multi-disciplinary, complex scientific skill set and our
> capability of delivering on this technological promise to the ultimate
> benefit of society."
> 
> The development of prototypes incorporates key technologies that build
> on the research, development and manufacturing strengths of the
> partners. The effort involves prestigious local and national
> institutions and companies including: the Translational Genomics
> Research Institute (TGen), Columbia University, High Throughput
> Genomics, Inc., Tecan Group, Ltd, University of Arizona, Scottsdale
> Healthcare Research Institute, and the University of Illinois, Chicago.
> 
> The goal of the project is to deliver a Biodosimetry Assay System that
> would assess the amount of ionizing radiation an individual had absorbed
> in the event of exposure. Currently, no rapid, high-throughput system
> exists to measure the radiation dose of individuals within a large
> population.
> 
> "The beauty of this system is its versatility," said Yamashiro. "Not
> only will we be developing a system for the effective response to a
> nuclear or radiologic event that could affect a large population but the
> high-throughout platform can also be used to advance genomics testing
> and other routine laboratory procedures measuring gene expression
> levels."
> 
> Developing the system requires utilizing a biomarker signature set based
> on gene expression markers. This set of markers will provide a distinct
> indicator for the level of absorbed radiation. The system will be
> capable of analyzing 2,000 blood samples in a day with an 8-hour
> turnaround for individual measurements to enable appropriate medical
> triage.
> 
> The system is designed to be comprehensive in scope, including
> specialized collection cartridges with which first responders can easily
> perform field collection of blood samples, a high-throughput assay
> system, and software for data collection and interpretation of results.
> The team will also work with government entities including the Food and
> Drug Administration on the implementation of the system once the
> prototype has been demonstrated to perform the desired tasks.
> 
> The latest effort builds on the achievements of a five-year, $25 million
> Center for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation (CMCR), involving
> research by ASU, TGen and Columbia University. The CMCR was one of eight
> established by the National Institutes of Health in 2005 in response to
> increased concerns about radiological disasters from terrorism and
> illicit trafficking of radioactive materials. The CMCRs conducted
> foundational research and feasibility studies for such technologies and
> countermeasures, as well as for related fundamental research for medical
> options to treat the variety of acute and long-term injuries that can
> result from nuclear or radiological attacks.