The UMSOM researchers stipulate that their findings are limited to the physics and irradiation aspects of these radiation biology studies. The quality of the science, hypotheses, or non-physics aspects of the experimental design were not reviewed by the UMSOM researchers.

"This inability to reproduce scientific findings could profoundly impact the translation of preclinical research results into clinical practice," said E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine. "The UMSOM researchers highlight a crucial issue that should be addressed by the radiation oncology research community."


The failure to report or reproduce radiation absorbed dose in radiation biology journal articles is likely due to a lack of consultation between the radiation biologists performing the study and radiation physicists who have the expertise to design, document and validate the radiation delivery protocol, according to the UMSOM researchers.

"We are raising awareness of this issue because the problem can be fixed by involving more properly trained physicists in these studies," said Dr. Poirier. "That is because radiation delivery follows well-understood radiation physics principles that lend themselves to high accuracy, precision, and reproducibility."

Efforts are already underway to address the problem: NIH's National Cancer Institute and National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases recently formed a program to standardize and monitor the radiation dosimetry delivery among the entirety of their preclinical research program funded by the radiation countermeasures program. The American Association of Physicists also established a task force last year to create guidelines for accurate dosimetry in radiobiology experiments.


About the University of Maryland School of Medicine
Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 43 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished recipient of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for more than 1.2 million patients each year. The School has over 2,500 students, residents, and fellows, and more than $530 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total workforce of nearly 7,000 individuals. The combined School and Medical System ("University of Maryland Medicine") has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world.

Back to HCB News

Rad Oncology Homepage