Issue March 2018 25

2

A c c e s s t o I N F R A S T R U C T U R E S f o r R a d i a t i o n p r o t e c t i o n R e s e a r c h

This

project has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 under grant agreement No 662287

Contents:

Exposure

platforms IRRAD

Databases,

Sample banks,

Cohorts

MARiS

Analytical

platforms,

Models, Tools

BIANCA

Next issue:

April 2018

WP 6 News:

AIR²D²:

- Please complete the online

form(s) to register your infra-

structure(s) in the database.

- A new option to feature your

infrastructure is now available:

add document.

Follow STORE on Twitter:

@STOREDatabase

Future events:

12-14 March 2018

Workshop MELODI-CONCERT

“Individual Radiosensitivity

and Radiosusceptibility”

Live video participation for

talks

Registration:

Maryline Di Noto Arruda

maryline.dinotoarruda@cea.fr

Deadline: 8 March 2018

Editorial

S uspecting that the small column in the CONCERT corner would not be enough to highlight a very important event in the life of MELODI and CONCERT, I am dedicating this editorial to the subject of the co-organised working seminar on the topic of "Individual Radiosensitivity and

Radiosusceptibility". The seminar will be held on 12-14 March 2018. This is a "closed" seminar, limited to a few European and international experts, which is intended to strengthen work on the priorities of the strategic agenda of MELODI, the CONCERT joint roadmap and the infrastructures needed. However, given the interest of many researchers for this topic, it has been decided to record the conferences and live stream them. To watch the videos and contribute to the brainstorming, please send an email registration request,

before 8 March, to maryline.dinotoarruda@cea.fr. Dr Laure Sabatier, CEA

The floor to...

E NEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, is a multidiscipli-

nary scientific research and technology develop-ment organisation with vast, internationally rec-ognised experience in the nuclear sector. ENEA fosters and carries out basic and applied re-search, including the development of prototypes and product industrialisation related to nuclear technologies and applications. ENEA is by law in charge of physical radioprotection surveillance. In the field of radiation protection, ENEA pos-sesses unique exper-tise and intervention skills, and can fulfil all kinds of needs for medical, industrial and environmental radiation protection purposes. The National Institute of Ionising Radiation Me-trology (INRIM), which develops and applies the highest quality measurement standards available, is part of the ENEA.

The Health Protection Technology Division (SSPT-TECS) and the Laboratory of Biomedical Technol-ogies (TEB) have a strong background in radiobi-ology at molecular, cellular and whole-organism level, and house a variety of core facilities funda-mental to research in this area, e.g. X-ray genera-

tors, the Calliope irradiation plant, 2 neutron reactors and a 7 MeV TOP injector linac (high current mode for PET isotopes production and low current mode for proton therapy and radiobiology ap-plications).

ENEA attributes high priority to

the maintenance of these infrastructures, and access is by prior agreement in the context of collaborative research projects or for irradiation and calibration services.

In the context of CONCERT, ENEA has been en-gaged in several aspects of the challenging mis-sion of developing an EJP, including providing support for the drafting of the SRA (Task 2.1) and for the task of identifying research priorities in the perspective of European integration (Tasks

3.1, 3.2 and 3.3). ENEA also participates in WP7, which aims to promote education and training in areas of scientific interest to the European RP platforms (Task 7.4).

Moreover, ENEA actively contributes to WP9: i) through its participation in the project LDLensRad (Towards a full mechanistic understanding of low dose radiation induced cataracts), selected in the 1st open call and ii) by coordinating the SEPARATE project (Systemic effects of partial-body exposure to low radiation doses), submitted in response to the 2nd open call. We look forward to seeing the first data generated by CONCERT-funded projects and hope that this work will contribute to the key priority of improving health risk estimates for occupational, environmental and medical expo-sures.

Dr Simonetta Pazzaglia & Dr Anna Saran

ENEA

CONCERT WP2, WP3, WP7 & WP9

ENEA’s role in nuclear research and

its position on infrastructures dedicated to

Radiation Protection research

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T he proton IRRADiation Facility (IRRAD), lo-cated in the East Area of the Proton Syn-chrotron (PS) accelerator at CERN, is mainly

used to qualify components for High Energy Physics experiments. This includes both low-Z samples such as thin silicon devices and particle-detector test structures, and high-Z samples such as the dense materials used in the construction of calo-rimeter devices. Moreover, at IRRAD it is also possi-ble to perform tests on electronic components/systems, radiation monitoring devices and dosime-ters in passive mode with reduced power require-ments, and with an active readout.

The PS accelerator supplies IRRAD with a 24 GeV/c proton beam of variable size ranging from 12×12 mm2 to 20×20 mm2 in spills of ~400 ms duration, every 10 s on average. Other beam sizes are availa-ble to users upon request. IRRAD is equipped with remotely controlled tables to precisely position the samples in the proton beam. The volume available for irradiation may reach up to 20×20×50 cm3. In addition, a remotely controlled conveyer (IRRAD1 shuttle) is available for the irradiation of small and passive samples, with maximum overall dimensions of 5×5×15 cm3; this shuttle can be moved from the outside area to the irradiation position without the need to stop the beam and disable human access inside the area.

The IRRAD1 shuttle travels across the radiation shielding blocks for a distance of ~10 m through a conduit of 400×400 mm2, designed to minimise direct radiation streaming. For both types of sys-tems, dedicated user interfaces allow users to remotely control them in an easy and user-friendly manner, and to monitor the sample posi-tions and the environmental conditions of IRRAD in real time. All this information is displayed on dedicated webpages accessible to the users.

Furthermore, at IRRAD it is also possible to perform irradiations at low temperature (down to -25°C).

Two cooling systems located outside the irradiation area pro-vide chilled fluid to the specially de-signed cold boxes positioned on two IRRAD tables. In addition, a cryostat filled with liquid Helium (LHe) allows special irradiations to be performed with sam-ples exposed at cryogenic temperatures down to

1.9 K.

With regard to dosimetry, pure Aluminum foils are used to measure the total proton fluence delivered to a sample with a preci-sion of ±7%. This is achieved by performing γ-spectrometry measurements of the irra-diated foil samples to evaluate the 24Na and 22Na activities. Other types of dosimet-ric technologies are also available at IRRAD (Alanine, RPLs, GaF films, etc.) depending on user requirements.

To guarantee precise beam steering along the beamline, a dedicated instrument, the Beam Profile Monitor, is used. This pro-vides a real time image of the Gaussian

beam profile in a webpage display. The same type of detector is used to align the IRRAD tables with regard to the beam trajectory and to pro-vide users with detailed information on the beam delivered to their samples.

IRRAD: The New 24GeV/c Proton Irradiation Facility at CERN, Gkotse B., Glaser M., Moll M., Ravotti F. (2015), In Proc. AccApp’15 , Washington, DC, 182-187 The Beam Profile Monitoring System for the IRRAD Proton Facility at the CERN PS East Area, Gkotse B., Glaser M., Matli E., Ravotti F., Gan K. K., Kagan H., Smith S., Warner J. (2015), In Proc. AccApp’15, Washington, DC, 479-484

Proton IRRADiation facility (IRRAD) A 24 GeV/c p+ beam for the qualification of HEP components

Exposure platforms

ID Card:

Exposure type: External

Source: CERN Proton Synchrotron Accelerator

Dose rate: ~5×1011 p/spill (~5×1015 p/cm2/week corresponding to ~ 1.5 MGy/week in Si on 10×10 mm2)

Irradiation type: Proton

Irradiated organism type: N/A

Address: CERN

CH-1211

Geneva 23

Switzerland

Access: Prior agreement/research collaboration services

Supporting lab: N/A

Internet link: https://ps-irrad.web.cern.ch

Contact: Federico Ravotti

+41 22 76 74280

ps.irrad@cern.ch

Federico.Ravotti@cern.ch

Related to: AIDA-2020 EURADOS

Issue 25

March 2018

IRRAD facility irradiation area

IRRAD tables (foreground). IRRAD1 shuttle conduit

(background).

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IRRAD facility team

O n behalf of its Member States, the IAEA Environment Laboratories are responsible for the data curation and development of

the Marine Information System (MARiS), an online database of levels of radionuclides in the marine environment. MARiS makes available data and information on radionuclides for scientists, policy-makers and interested members of the public to have a better understanding of radioactivity levels in the world’s oceans.

Seawater, sediments and biota in the ocean are naturally radioactive. In addition, the ocean con-tains a comparatively small amount of radioactivi-ty resulting from anthropogenic activity (i.e. hu-man-caused). The major sources of anthropogenic radionuclides include fallout from nuclear weap-ons testing, and both routine and accidental re-leases from nuclear facilities. These radionuclides end up in the marine environment through direct discharges, atmospheric deposition, or run-off from land. The majority of naturally-occurring radionuclides originate from the rocks and sediments that make up the Earth’s crust and ocean floor, while others are produced by the interaction of cosmic rays with the higher atmosphere. Access to data on marine radioactivity is essential for understanding natural marine processes and humans’ impact on the seas and oceans.

The MARiS database currently contains over 176,000 marine radioactivity data, representing more than 60 different radio-nuclides or radionuclide ratios in seawater, biota, seabed sediments, and suspended matter. Data contained in the MARiS data-base is extracted from a larger in-house database called GLOMARD, the Global Ma-rine Radioactivity Database, which serves as the master database for data curation and

validation prior to inclusion in MARiS. Marine radioactivity measurements have been collected, man-aged and curated at the Environment La-boratories in Monaco since the early 1990s. Data originates from

published scientific papers, reports, and data-bases created within institutes or sci-entific programmes in Member States. Data included in MARiS has either al-ready been published or has been sub-mitted directly from a data provider with permission to include the data in MARiS. MARiS website users can search for data using various criteria, for example geographical region, type of sample, radionuclide, date or depth.

Data in MARiS can be used by Member States to assess distributions and trends of radionuclides; validate dis-persion models, provide data con-straints for radiological assessment models; and investigate marine pro-

cesses (e.g. water-mass transport, carbon cycling, sedimentation rates), some of which influence pollution and climate. In addition to scientists and policy-makers, MARiS can be used by the public to access reliable information about radioactivity in the marine environment.

If you have data that you would like to contribute to MARiS you are invited to email the contact in the ID Card.

Global marine radioactivity database (GLOMARD), IAEA (2000), TECDOC-1146

MARiS homepage contains links to various presentations

MARiS – MARine Information System Measurements of radioactivity in the marine environment

Databases, Sample banks, Cohorts

Issue 25

March 2018

ID Card:

Database topic: Marine radioactivity

Information available type: Measured activities of radionuclides in marine samples with associated metadata

Data type: Reported values from publications, data reports, other databases, and direct submission from data-originators

Link with a biobank: No

Exportable: Preview table is exportable to a downloadable CSV file

Species: Marine samples: seawater, sediment, biota, suspended matter

Internet link: https://maris.iaea.org/

Access: Open access with a request to acknowledge the source of the data

Contact: MARIS.Contact-Point@iaea.org

Related to: ALLIANCE

Paul J. Morris

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The global distribution of measurements of radionuclides in seawa-

ter contained in MARiS

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Screenshot of the MARiS query form and auto-updating map when searching for mea-

surements of, for example, Cs-137 in seawater in the North Pacific

Chromosome aberrations and cell death by ionizing radiation: Evolution of a biophysical model, Ballarini F., Carante M. P. (2016), Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 128, 18-25 Proximity effects in chromosome aberration induction by low-LET ionizing radiation, Tello Cajiao J. J., Carante M. P., Bernal Rodriguez M. A., Ballarini F. (2017), DNA Repair, 58, 38-46

The BIANCA code BIophysical ANalysis of Cell death and chromosome Aberrations

B IANCA (BIophysical ANalysis of Cell death and chromosome Aberrations) is a bio-physical model/MC code that simulates

cell death and chromosome aberrations by differ-ent radiation types, including those of interest for radiation protection (e.g. alpha particles) and can-cer hadron therapy (protons and C-ions). The model/code is developed and maintained at the University of Pavia (UniPv) and the National Insti-tute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) in Pavia, Italy.

The model, which ascribes a pivotal role to DNA cluster damage, is based on the following assump-tions:

Ionising radiation can induce DNA “Cluster Le-sions” (CLs), where a CL is defined as critical DNA damage that produces two independent chromosome fragments.

Distance-dependent mis-rejoining (or un-rejoining) of chromosome fragments produces chromosome aberrations.

Certain aberrations (dicentrics, rings and large deletions) lead to cell death.

The CL yield, which mainly depends on radiation quality but is also modulated by the cell features, is adjusted by comparisons with exper-imental data. The fragment un-rejoining probability (or the character-istic distance of the fragment mis-rejoining probability, depending on the model version) is the second, and last, adjustable parameter.

The genomes (number of chromo-somes and chromosome sizes) of hu-man, hamster and rat cells have been implemented, and others can be add-ed. The cell nucleus can be modelled either by a cylinder (for cell monolay-ers) or by a sphere (for cell suspen-

sions), and the nucleus size can be cho-sen by the user. Each inter-phase chromosome-arm domain is described explicitly by the union of 0.1-µm-size voxels.

The model has been recently applied to V79 cells (which are widely used in radiobiology, also to characterise hadron therapy beams) and AG01522 cells exposed to protons, He-ions and C-ions over a wide range of LET values. The good agreement between simulations and data allowed the crea-tion of a database of particle- and LET-dependent CL yields; by fitting these yields, cell death and chromosome aberrations can be predicted also at LET values where experimental data are not avail-able.

In view of hadron therapy applications, this allows an almost continuous set of α and β cell-survival parameters to be produced, which can be read by a radiation transport code and/or a TPS. In paral-lel, to elucidate the DNA damage repair me-chanisms, the dependence of the fragment (mis-)rejoining probability on the (initial) fragment dis-tance was investigated in human lymphocytes and fibroblasts. An exponential function of the form exp(-r/r0), which is consistent with chromatin free-end diffusion, was found to better describe proxi-mity effects with respect to both a step function and a Gaussian function. Furthermore, the results supported the use of the F-ratio (dicentrics to centric rings) and/or the G-ratio (interstitial dele-tions to centric rings) as “fingerprints” of low-dose, high-LET exposure, which can have applica-tions for radiation protection.

ID Card:

Purpose:

Calculation of cell death and

chromosome damage probabilities

Use:

Use of the BIANCA code needs

some initial skills and further

training

Housed at:

University of Pavia (UniPv)

National Institute of Nuclear

Physics (INFN)

Training proposed on the

software:

N/A

Address:

University of Pavia, Physics

Department

via Bassi 6, I-27100 Pavia, Italy

INFN-Section of Pavia

via Bassi 6, I-27100 Pavia, Italy

Access:

Currently the code is not freely

available. Researchers interested

in BIANCA should contact F.

Ballarini and M. Carante.

Internet link:

http://fisica.unipv.it/ricerca/

RicAppl/ENG/

EN_SFB_Radio_computazionale.htm

Contacts: Francesca Ballarini francesca.ballarini@unipv.it

Mario Carante mario.carante@pv.infn.it +39 0382 987949

Related to: MELODI

Issue 25

March 2018

Scheme of the main steps included in the BIANCA model

Analytical platforms, Models & Tools

Simulation of light-ion irradiation of a cell nucleus by

the BIANCA code

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M. C

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Prof. F. Ballarini Dr M. Carante

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Issue 25

March 2018

Exposure platforms

FIGARO

B3, Animal Contamination Facility

Pulex Cosmic Silence

SNAKE

Radon exposure chamber

Biological Irradiation Facility

CIRIL

Mixed alpha and X-ray exposure facility

SCRS-GIG

Facility radionuclides availability, transfer and migration

LIBIS gamma low dose rate facility ISS

Microtron laboratory

Nanoparticle Inhalation Facility

Infrastructure for retrospective radon & thoron dosimetry

1st CONCERT Call: CONFIDENCE, LDLensRad, TERRITORIES

Alpha Particles Irradiator Calibration Laboratory at KIT

Changing Dose rate (SU) Low dose rate (SU)

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

MELAF

MICADO’LAB

DOS NDS

CALLAB Radon Calibration Laboratory

Calibration and Dosimetry Laboratory (INTE-UPC)

NMG

MEDIRAD

UNIPI-AmBe

2nd CONCERT Call: LEU-TRACK, PODIUM, SEPARATE, VERIDIC,

ENGAGE, SHAMISEN-SINGS

IRRAD

To Be Announced

Databases,

Sample banks, Cohorts

FREDERICA

The Wismut Cohort and Biobank

STORE

French Haemangioma Cohort and Biobank

3-Generations exposure study

Wildlife TransferDatabase

Portuguese Tinea Capitis Cohort

Elfe Cohort

RES3T

INWORKS cohort

JANUS

EPI-CT Scan cohort

UEF Biobanking

Chernobyl Tissue Bank

1st CONCERT Call: CONFIDENCE, LDLensRad, TERRITORIES

Chernobyl clean-up workers from Latvia

Belgian Soil Collection

Estchern Cohort

German airline crew cohort

Techa River Cohort (TRC)

MEDIRAD

Greek interventional cardiologists cohort

2nd CONCERT Call: LEU-TRACK, PODIUM, SEPARATE, VERIDIC,

ENGAGE, SHAMISEN-SINGS

MARiS

To Be Announced

Analytical platforms,

Models & Tools

RENEB

The Hungarian Genomics Research Network

METABOHUB

Dose Estimate, CABAS, NETA

PROFI

Radiobiology and immunology platform (CTU-FBME)

LDRadStatsNet

ERICA Tool

CROM-8

France Génomique

Transcriptomics platform SCKCEN

CATI

The Analytical Platform of the PRE-PARE project

HZDR Radioanalytical Laboratories

1st CONCERT Call: CONFIDENCE, LDLensRad, TERRITORIES

SYMBIOSE

Advanced Technologies Network Center

BfS whole and partial body Counting

INFRAFONTIER

ECORITME

CERES

CORIF

Centre for Omic Sciences (COS)

iGE3

MEDIRAD

SNAP

2nd CONCERT Call: LEU-TRACK, PODIUM, SEPARATE, VERIDIC,

ENGAGE, SHAMISEN-SINGS

BIANCA

To Be Announced

2

A c c e s s t o I N F R A S T R U C T U R E S f o r R a d i a t i o n p r o t e c t i o n R e s e a r c h

Issue

Oct 2015, #1

Nov 2015, #2

Dec 2015, #3

Feb 2016, #4

Mar 2016, #5

Apr 2016, #6

May2016, #7

Jun 2016, #8

Jul 2016, #9

Sep 2016, #10

Oct 2016 #11

Nov 2016, #12

Dec 2016, #13

Feb 2017, #14

Special Issue 1

Mar 2017, #15

Apr 2017, #16

May 2017, #17

Jun 2017, #18

Jul 2017, #19

Sep 2017, #20

Oct 2017, #21

Nov 2017, #22

Dec 2017, #23

Special Issue 2

Feb 2018, #24

Special Issue 3

Mar 2018, #25

Apr 2018, #26

Published to date:

Coming soon:

Future events:

CONCERT Short Courses

5-16 March 2018 Assessment of long-term radiological

risks from environmental releases:

modelling and measurements,

Technical University of Denmark

Contact: Kasper Andersson

kgan@dtu.dk

12-16 March 2018 EURADOS Training course on Applica-

tion of Monte Carlo Methods for Dosi-

metry of Ionizing Radiation, KIT,

Germany

Contact: Bastian Breustedt

Bastian.breustedt@kit.edu

12-23 March 2018

Two-week training course on radiation-induced effects with particular emphasis on genetics, development, teratology, cognition, cancer as well as space-related health issues, SCK•CEN, Belgium

Contact: Sarah Baatout sbaatout@sckcen.be

19-23 March 2018 Monitoring and dose assessment for internal exposures, NCRRP, Bulgaria

Contact: Rositza Totzeva r.totzeva@ncrrp.org

16-20 April 2018 Preparedness and response for nuclear and radiological emergencies, SCK•CEN, Belgium

Contact: Catrinel Turcanu cturcanu@sckcen.be

Other Events

11-15 June 2018 EPRBioDose 2018, Munich, Germany

13-15 June 2018 RICOMET 2018, Antwerp, Belgium

15 June 2018 MELODI Award Call 2018 deadline

20-24 August 2018 NEA International Radiological

Protection School (IRPS), Stockholm,

Sweden

22-25 August 2018 ERR 2018, Pecz, Hungary

1-5 October 2018 3rd ERPW, Rovinj Rovigno, Croatia

See also on CONCERT website

Editorial Committee: Maria Panagiotopoulou, Jean-Michel Dolo, Elisabeth May, Laure Sabatier