Radiobiological damage and repair mechanisms: relevance in cellular radiosensitivity

Radiation sensitivity can be defined by the shoulder of the survival curve. This elegant curve reflects a complex underlying mechanism. Intrinsic radiation sensitivity of a cell line or organ is a measure of the repair misrepair quotient, while overall sensitivity is determined by many other variables like pH, oxygen state and cell kinetics. The study of mechanisms of radiation induced damage have a profound implication in designing drugs to modulate radiation response. (author)