Focus areas

The Institute of Medical Radiation Biology focuses on research on radiation effects on living organisms. Its main research interest is in shedding light on the underlying molecular principles of these effects, with the ultimate goal of using the gained insights to, on the one hand, improve radiation tumor therapy and, on the other hand, to optimize radiation protection for humans.

Fields of Research

The Institute?s research activities focus on evaluating several biochemical pathways involved in DSB repair and on elucidating the checkpoint contributions to the optimization of this process. Understanding the cellular reactions to DSBs on a molecular level will allow for important conclusions regarding genomic instability and, therefore, the induction of cancer processes. Furthermore, checkpoint reactions in bystander cells without direct radiation exposure are studied, as these effects may be extremely relevant for the protection of humans against radiation.

Other studies aim to explain the molecular mechanisms of hyperthermia-activated checkpoints with the ultimate goal of rationally optimizing the combined application of radiation and hyperthermia for the treatment of tumors in humans.

Staff

The Institute of Medical Radiation Biology employs 1 professor, 9 scientists, 10 PhD students, 1 other graduate student and 5 non-scientists.