Speaker
Description
In the context of radiobiology research, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become an established model for screening different radiation beams and modifiers in a complex organism, considering the convenient manipulation conditions and well-validated analyses for studying post-irradiation induced damage [1].
We explored the response of zebrafish embryos (up to 120 hours post fertilization, hpf) to photon or proton irradiation delivered at conventional and ultra-high dose rates, in terms of multiple biological endpoints, from morphological evaluations to molecular insights [2; 3]. Quantitative and qualitative analyses on developmental malformations were manually conducted twice by independent operators at 96-119 hpf, by using ImageJ software® and applying a scoring system previously described [4]. In this scenario, in which the IR effects assessment is time consuming and operator-dependent, there is an increasing need to adapt radiomics tools for preclinical studies. Indeed, radiomics reveals novel biomarkers or patterns beyond traditional features and could offer a deeper insight in the understanding of involved biological processes and in the early prediction of radiation treatment outcomes [5].
Thus, in this preclinical context, the use of an imaging tool, able to extract operator-independent features on irradiated zebrafish embryos, represents a step forward to gain a deeper understanding of the biological effects induced by conventional and novel irradiation modalities, with short timescales and statistically significant results.