![Treating Radiation Exposure]()
Exposure to high-dose radiation from nuclear accidents or terrorism can cause acute radiation syndrome (ARS)—illness due to the death of stem cells in specific tissues. The main cause of death from ARS—destruction of bone marrow—can be prevented with a bone marrow transplant. But survival is extremely unlikely when radiation exposure is high enough to damage the gastrointestinal tract. Chandan Guha M.B.B.S., Ph.D., has shown that ARS of the gastrointestinal tract can be treated with a bone marrow adherent stromal cell transplant (BMASCT), which consists mainly of stromal (connective tissue) and myeloid (bone marrow) cells. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has now awarded Dr. Guha a five-year, $2.7 million grant to develop strategies for applying BMASCT therapy in a mass-casualty situation. Dr. Guha is professor and vice chair of radiation oncology at Einstein and Montefiore Health System. Dr. Guha is also professor of urology and of pathology at Einstein and is director of Einstein’s Institute for Onco-physics. (1U01AI138324-01)
Posted on: Wednesday, May 02, 2018