Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Radiation medicine plays a critical role in the lives of many Canadians for diagnosis and treatment, e.g., with 1 in 4 undergoing cancer radiation therapy in their lifetime. All radiation treatments aim to maximize tumour cell kill while limiting healthy tissue exposure; the figure of merit is typically "absorbed dose" which is the energy deposited per unit mass of tissue and is evaluated by physicists. Despite the ubiquity of radiation medicine, fundamental scientific questions remain regarding the interactions of radiation with matter, radiation dosimetry, and biological effects of radiation. Advances in radiation medicine require new approaches for evaluating energy deposition (dose) and connecting with biological response across length and complexity scales ranging from cellular to patient systems. The proposed research focuses on physics developments to advance knowledge of how radiation interacts with systems and their subsequent (often biological) response. New approaches for modelling the interactions of radiation with matter over macro-to-submicroscopic length scales will be developed. On macroscopic length scales, simulations of radiation transport and energy deposition using Monte Carlo (MC) methods have seen important advances in recent years. However, modelling radiation interactions and energy deposition on shorter scales such as within cells and their constituents (DNA) presents challenges as does bridging length scales. We will develop rigorous, quantum mechanically-faithful (physically realistic) approaches for modelling electron interactions with vital biological molecules such as DNA, as well new, biologically-motivated approaches for assessing energy deposition in radiation medicine contexts where patients/treatments are changing with time (tumour regression/edema; movement of radiation sources). We will realize a novel system for evaluating energy deposited in cells and the associated biological response in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of physics experimentalists, data scientists, biologists. This system will be applicable to a broad range of doses. The proposed research presents unique directions that will bridge the gap between dose (physical insult) and biological response to radiation. There currently exist no frameworks to analyze heterogeneity in energy deposition coupled with heterogeneity in cell response: the proposed research will enable important advances in knowledge of mechanisms of radiation damage, simulation/computational techniques and methods advancement, with scientific and health impacts. With research outcomes that are directly relevant to radiation medicine, this research will help improve the quality of life of Canadians (leading to reduced healthcare costs). The involvement of students and trainees in the program will train the next generation of scientists and researchers who will find rewarding employment in scientific fields, medicine, data analytics, and industry.