Rapid Assay for Determination and Quantification of Radiation or Toxin Exposure

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
posted on 02/04/2009

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Technology description: Individuals who have defective DNA repair mechanisms suffer subsequent chromosome instability, and therefore are predisposed to cancers and are hypersensitive to radiation and chemotherapy. Identification of these at-risk individuals is paramount to avoiding life-threatening toxicity from radiation or chemical exposure. Fanconi anemia complementation group D2 (FANCD2) is a component of a protein involved in chromosome stability and repair. This invention is based upon the discovery that FANCD2-containg foci are formed in cells in response to genotoxic agents (agents which cause DNA damage). Further, foci formation is correlated with the degree of exposure. Applications/Advantages:Efforts to predict which cancer patients have an underlying DNA repair disorder have been largely ineffectual. First evidence of a DNA repair disorder often comes from a severe toxic reaction to radiation and chemotherapy. This technology provides the means for testing an individual?s sensitivity to a genotoxic agent. Kits are provided for detecting FANCD2-containing foci and associated DNA damage. Finally, this invention gives methods for identifying agents that modulate the ability of FANCD2 foci to form. These agents are useful to protect against damage due to genotoxic agents.