New Technique for Measuring DNA Damage Could Improve Cancer Therapy and Radiological Emergency Response
Summary
NIST researchers have developed a nanopore-based method that detects radiation-induced DNA damage quickly and with high accuracy. The technique senses DNA fragments passing through nanopores by monitoring disruptions in an electrical current, allowing measurement of fragment number and length to estimate effective radiation dose. Demonstrated as a proof of concept in vitro, the method delivers results in minutes and is especially effective in the clinically critical 2–10 Gy dose range.
The team envisions a portable device — potentially smartphone-sized — for use in hospitals and emergency settings. The study is published in Analytical Chemistry (“Single-molecule biodosimetry”, Lamontagne et al., 2025; DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5c03303).
Key Points
- The technique uses nanopore sensing to count and size radiation-fragmented DNA molecules by measuring current disruptions as DNA passes through a pore.
- It produces dose estimates within minutes rather than days and is most accurate in the 2–10 Gy range — important for clinical decision-making and triage after major exposures.
- Current biological dosimetry methods (cell counts, chromosomal assays) are slow (days) and have limited upper-dose ranges; nanopore sensing addresses both issues.
- Potential applications include real-time monitoring during radiotherapy to tailor doses and tracking tumour response, and rapid triage in radiological emergencies to prioritise care.
- The work is at the laboratory proof-of-concept stage; next steps are testing on DNA from cells/tissues and developing a portable prototype in partnership with industry.
Author style
Punchy: this is a neat, practical advance with real-world muscle. It’s not just incremental — it promises to change how clinicians and first responders get radiation-dose info when timing matters most. Read the detail if you care about improving patient outcomes or emergency preparedness.
Why should I read this?
Quick take: if you work in oncology, emergency medicine or radiological protection, this could save you hours (or days) and make life-or-death triage far smarter. It’s a fast, practical fix to a slow, outdated measurement problem — and NIST thinks it can be shrunk down to something you could carry to the field.
Context and Relevance
The development sits at the intersection of bioscience, metrology and public safety. Faster, more accurate biodosimetry would let clinicians fine-tune radiotherapy doses to spare healthy tissue and let emergency teams rapidly prioritise treatment after accidents or exposures. As nanopore platforms and portable electronics advance, translating this laboratory success into a field-ready device could accelerate responses in both routine clinical and crisis scenarios.