Department of Radiation Oncology

Radiation Biology Course Thursdays, 7:30-9 am, 2 Donner

Costas Koumenis, Course Director
(215)898-0076; koumenis@xrt.upenn.edu

Textbooks: Radiobiology for the Radiologist (Hall and Giaccia, 6th ed.), & Basic Clin. Radiobiology (G. Steel, 3rd ed.)

Date

Lecture title

Instructor(s)

2/22

Types of radiation, radiation chemistry, target theory; Nature of DNA strand breaks and chrom. aberrations

Koch

3/1

In vitro and in vivo cell survival curves; Dq, D0, LPL and LQ models

Tuttle

3/8

Cell cycle and radiosensitivity; DNA repair at the cellular level, RBE, LET,dose-rate effects

Kao

3/15

Dose-response curves in the clinic; Brachytherapy and the dose-rate effect; BNCT

Lin

3/22

Tumor hypoxia: causes, types, methods of measurement; Oxygen effect; Reoxygenation

Evans

3/29

Hypoxic resistance and tumor aggressiveness; Exploiting tumor hypoxia (hypoxic sensitizers and cytotoxins, bacteriolytic therapy)

Koumenis

4/5

Normal tissue injury: early vs. late effects; Total body irradiation

Cengel

4/12

Mid-term Exam

4/19

Influence of oncogenes/tumor suppressor genes (e.g., EGFR, Ras, p53, BRCA1) on the cellular response to IR

Cengel

4/26

Molecular Techniques in RB: PFGE, COMET, H2AX, Flow Cytom, Gene Expression Analysis

Koumenis

5/3

Particle Beams in RT-theory and practice

McDonough

5/10

Time, dose and fractionation schemes in RT-hyper/hypofractionation

Glatstein

5/17

Hyperthermia (special time:12-1 pm)

Leeper (Jefferson)

5/24

Effects of IR on fetus and embryo; Radioprotectors

Kennedy

5/31

Modes of Cell death: necrosis, apoptosis, senescence, differentiation, autophagy

Busch

6/7

Tumor Radiobiology: TCD50, tumor growth delays, spheroids

Gupta

6/14

Combination of RT and chemotherapy; Radiosensitizers and radiation modifiers; Anti-angiogenic agents + RT

Maity

6/21

Radiation-induced carcinogenesis;Hereditary effects of IR; Radiosensitivity syndromes;

Kennedy

6/28

Final Exam