The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) has selected the team led by Signature Science to advance to Phase 2 of its Targeted Evaluation of Ionizing Radiation Exposure (TEI-REX) program, Signature Science announced September 3. The next phase is valued at $3.8 million. The objective of TEI-REX is to investigate the possibility of quantifying low-dose ionizing radiation exposure from non-invasive sample types, such as hair and skin, to identify biomarkers reflective of an exposure event and cumulative dose, dose rate, type of dose, and date of last exposure to a radiation source.
Signature Science and its teammates from Columbia University’s Center for Radiological Research, Georgetown University, and the University of Texas at Austin reached several key milestones toward this goal in Phase 1. The team’s research centered around the application of RNA sequencing techniques and LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics and lipidomics to identify radiation-responsive genes from a variety of sample types. The team developed a novel biomarker discovery pipeline, scalable sample analysis workflows, and biodosimetry model evaluation tools. Together, these elements contribute to more rapid signature selection, enabling researchers to process new datasets in a matter of a few hours.
In Phase 2, Signature Science will optimize the methods developed in Phase 1 across several metrics. The team will work to detect biomarkers associated with lower doses of radiation exposure, and pinpoint details related to the date and type of radiation exposure with higher accuracy. Simultaneously, there will be a focus on increasing reproducibility and confidence in analyses. To this end, Signature Science will develop statistical and computational methods to decrease the effect of batch-to-batch variability on endpoint prediction.
“We are proud to have been among the Phase 1 performers selected to advance to Phase 2,” said co-principal investigator Myles Gardner. “IARPA consistently poses some of the most difficult, complicated questions to the scientific community, and we are looking forward to continuing our work to provide them with a solution to this one.” Dr. Gardner serves as co-principal investigator for Signature Science alongside Dr. Amrita Cheema of Georgetown University.
Source: Signature Science
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