It is essential to minimize damage to normal tissues during radiation therapy and many strategies have been employed in finding the best methods for radioprotection. This book integrates chemical, biological, and clinical perspectives on these strategies and developments, providing a comprehensive treatise. It emphasizes new concepts in radioprotection, aiming to inspire further basic science and clinical progress in radioprotector research. Radioprotectors: Chemical, Biological, and Clinical Perspectives includes the following topics:
Early research on radioprotectors
WR-2721, an aminothiol prodrug, as a radioprotector
New results with naturally occurring thiols
Nitroxides as effective radioprotectors in vitro and in vivo
Radioprotection observed with radical scavengers or antioxidants
Bone marrow radioprotection with cytokines and biological modifiers
Multiple mechanisms of altering radiation response by eicosanoids
Vascular response to radiation and the importance of vascular damage to normal tissue
Modifiers of radiation-induced apoptosis
Survey of clinical trials with radioprotectors
Radiation biologists and oncologists, cancer researchers, and toxicologists will benefit from the findings discussed and strategies for future research.
Edward A. Bump, Ph.D., is associate professor of radiation therapy at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, Harvard Medical School and at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA. Dr. Bump received his B.S. in biochemistry from Cornell University in 1970. He obtained his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Oregon State University in 1975, under the direction of Dr. Donald Reed, and completed postdoctoral fellowships under the direction of Dr. Daniel Atkinson (UCLA) and Drs. Robert Fahey and Jerry Schneider (UCSD) prior to joining the laboratory of Dr. J. Martin Brown in the Department of Radiology at Stanford University, as a research associate. He was appointed assistant professor at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, Harvard Medical School, in 1985, and was appointed associate professor in 1995. Dr. Bump's graduate and postdoctoral research dealt with the role of thiols in regulation of cellular metabolism, and in the response of tumor cells to the anticancer agent, procarbazine. At Stanford University, he studied the role of thiols, and particularly glutathione, in the radiation response of mammalian cells. Most recently his research has been aimed at developing new strategies for chemical or biochemical modification of the biological effects of ionizing radiation. He has published approximately 50 papers, including several comprehensive reviews on modification of the radiation response. Dr. Bump is a member of the Radiation Research Society, the Oxygen Society, Free Radical Research International, the American Association of Cancer Research, The American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncologists, The American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Kamal Malaker, M.D., Ph.D., graduated in medicine from the University of Calcutta, India. He began his specialty training in radiotherapy and clinical oncology under Drs. Frank Ellis and Chris Paine in Oxford, England. He completed his training at The Hammersmith Hospital and The Royal Postgraduate Medical School of London University, U.K., where he worked as Senior Registrar and Tutor in radiotherapy and clinical oncology for several years. Having moved to Canada in 1977, he joined the Manitoba Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation as a staff radiation oncologist, eventually becoming the Director of radiation oncology at the the Foundation. He was also head of radiation oncology at the University of Manitoba, Canada. Dr. Malaker has maintained a lifelong interest in research on radiosensitizers and radioprotectors, on which he has authored several papers. This research continues at the Joint Center at Harvard. During his career, Dr. Malaker has maintained a strong interest in education, training, and development of radiotherapy services in developing countries and is actively involved in various programs initiated by international organizations such as WHO and UICC.
