Late Effect – Programmed Research
| Research Subject | A03-1 Multidisciplinary Analysis of the Effect of Low Fluence Particle Radiation on Animals and Biological Adaptations |
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How can some animals, which are higher-order functional organisms, adapt to the environment in Space, which is filled with cosmic radiation, including particles with greater relative biological effectiveness, such as iron ions, while others fail to adapt? Research thus far has yet to provide a clear-cut answer. Moreover, how the combination of daily caloric intake and cosmic radiation affects the adaptation process is unclear, making it difficult to identify what the risks are and how to avoid them. Furthermore, the mechanisms of non-targeted effects (e.g., the bystander effect characteristic to low-fluence particle beam) have yet to be clarified.
The objective of this Programmed Research is to elucidate the response and adaptations of higher-order organisms to the radiation of low-fluence charged particle and neutron beams as well as their complex interactions with various environmental factors based on our previous research using charged particles and neutron beams. Research on radio-protective agents is also within our scope.
We will use mice and Japanese medaka as model animals. In the mice experiment, we will irradiate the whole body of the model animals with an iron beam, and assess the damage and the induced instability of their genomes. We will also assess the modification of susceptibility by controlling the caloric intake and the efficacy of chemical compounds that may possess some radio-protective effects. In the experiment system of Japanese medaka, we will assess the low-fluence particle beam-induced resistance in the model animals.
