Raman Spectroscopy for Rapid Non-invasive Radiation Exposure Triage - Raman Spectroscopy for Rapid Non-invasive Radiation Exposure Triage A radiological (Rad) incident from a nuclear (Nuc) reactor accident or a terrorist attack using an improvised nuclear device (IND) can generate mass casualties from exposure to substantial doses of ionizing radiation. Effective treatment requires triage methods that can rapidly assess exposure greater than 2 Gy and then higher doses, where medical outcomes are known to change significantly. Depending on the absorbed dose, the onset and intensity of Acute Radiation Syndromes (ARS) and Delayed Effects of Acute Radiation Exposure (DEARE) will vary. Early detection of the extent of radiation injury and rapid triage are critical for timely administration of medical countermeasures. There is no current method available for rapid triage based on biochemical evidence of exposure. In this project, we propose to combine Raman spectroscopy and artificial intelligence to generate and assay for exposure to ionizing radiation greater than 2 Gy and then to assess whether larger doses (>5 Gy), where outcomes are less favorable, can be further distinguished. To develop our model, we will use hair plucked from mice exposed to controlled doses of radiation. We will assess the extensibility of these models by testing against samples obtained from other mouse strains, nonhuman primates, and human patients undergoing radiation therapy. We hypothesize: 1) The changes in pigment can be observed and used for triage applications where exposure is > 2 Gy; 2) Biochemical changes in the hair root can be correlated to exposure independent of pigmentation in the hair. We will further evaluate confounding factors, such as the type of radiation exposure (e.g. – gamma rays, x-rays, or neutrons), sex, and strain; to further assess the applicability of the changes observed in mice to other animal models to facilitate translation to humans. To accomplish these goals, we will pursue the following specific aims: 1. Determine and assess the extensibility of Raman spectroscopy on melanin in the hair shaft for triage decisions. 2. Determine and assess the extensibility of hair root Raman signals from triage decisions. These data will improve dosimetry models and facilitate improved triage decisions in the event of a mass nuclear tragedy or other radiation exposure events.
