New research could be key to treating leukaemia

Scientific experiments indicating that exposure to low levels of radiation adversely affects the growth of human cells have profound implications for cancer research, a genetics conference in Dublin has been told.

Dr Keith Baverstock, a radiation scientist with the World Health Organisation, said new research on how radiation causes instability in genes could be the key to understanding and treating leukaemia and a number of non-cancer diseases.

"The implications are very profound, not just for radio-biology but for biology in general. If we adopted this model we would have a completely different view of radiation-induction relevant to all aspects of the science."

He was speaking yesterday at a conference on the phenomenon of "genomic instability" at the Dublin Institute of Technology.

Research carried out by the institute's radiation centre found that long-term exposure to low-level radiation generated genetically unstable cells.

Subsequent research, on mice and human cells, by the Medical Research Council in Britain traced this genomic instability effect to the production of abnormal chromosomes, similar to those found in cancer patients.

Dr Baverstock strongly criticised European radiation protection and funding bodies for failing to grasp the significance of the findings.

However, he stopped short of calling for a review of radiation protection standards.

"The evidence is compelling for research, but not to change the existing standards, as we don't exactly know what change we should make to them yet.

Dr Baverstock, who works with the WHO's European Centre for Environment and Health in Rome, said the research on genomic instability indicated that both cancer and non-cancer diseases, including liver and heart conditions, could be induced by low-level radiation.

The doses of radiation under examination were similar to those which certain professionals, such as people working in hospital Xray departments, might be exposed to.

Dr Carmel Mothersill, head of the DIT's radiation centre, said that, while research had shown the phenomenon exists, it had yet to be explained satisfactorily. She said it was particularly important to determine whether there were certain human populations which were especially susceptible to radiation-induced genomic instability, and whether they could be identified by simple screening tests.

In this regard, she also criticised EU funding bodies and radiation authorities for "an ostrich-like approach to the research. They're pretending it's not there and hoping it will go away."

More than 20 international genetic scientists are attending the four-day conference. Among them is a cancer research team from Manchester who will today present the findings of a study on genomic instability in mice.