Biophysical modelling of radiation effects

There is a need for analytical tools, based on an understanding of radiation interaction with matter and of the biology of the cell, to provide interpretations of the effects of radiation and to offer mathematical formalism to extrapolate data measured at high doses to predict effects at low doses. A whole series of biophysical models have been developed over the past fifteen years which all provide, in some way, an approach to the interpretation of the effects of radiation, but which have differing implications for the extrapolation to predict effects at low doses. Although there has been some convergence of ideas recently with respect to the nature of the biological target, the DNA in the cell nucleus, the nature of important damage, DNA double strand breaks, and the amount of energy deposition needed to create a crucial lesion, no consensus on the mathematical form of the dose effect relationships nor on the nature of the crucial lesion has been achieved. This book presents the proceedings and the essential discussion from a workshop on biophysical models. Three sets of radiobiological data on cell transformation, chromosomal aberrations and mutations and on the interaction of mixed radiations were offered for analysis by the modellers and some of the presentations in this book deal with those analyses. Other presentations cover the recent development of the existing models as well as defining newer data sets which might be used to test the different models. (author)