The First RadExIORSBoost Radiobiology School titled “Radiobiology and RadExIORSBoost WP2 work in progress” was successfully held from 8 to 10 July 2026 at the University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University.
Members of the IORS team – Dr. Ivana Matić, Dr. Nina Petrović, Dr. Aleksandar Stepanović, Dr. Katarina Kopčalić, Ivana Pašić and Maja Petrović, participated together with Prof. Dr. Maja Čemažar, Prof. Dr. Gregor Serša, Lara Snoj, Veronika Škrjanc (OI LJUBLJANA), Prof. Dr. Christopher Talbot, Dr. Tim Rattay (ULEIC), Prof. Dr. Marlon Veldwijk, Prof. Dr. Carsten Herskind, Ahmad Šami, Dr. Barbara Link, Dr. Michael Ehmann (UHEI), Dr. Miroslav Mišík (MUW), and other project colleagues who joined the event online.
Radiobiology School brought together 28 project team members in person and online.
During the first two inspiring sessions titled “Radiobiology”, excellent lectures were delivered by:
Prof. Herskind on physico-chemical considerations on ionisation tracks, radical reactions, and the role of oxygen, as well as on a novel method for risk stratification of radiation-induced breast fibrosis;
Prof. Talbot on basic principles in radiation-induced normal tissue injury prediction;
Prof. Čemažar on gene electrotransfer of therapeutic molecules combined with irradiation;
Prof. Serša on electrochemotherapy combined with irradiation;
Dr. Link on FLASH radiotherapy.
In the third session “WP2 Work in Progress“, Dr. Mišík, Dr. Petrović, Mr. Šami, Dr. Matić, and Prof. Veldwijk presented the first project research results and the current status of the project research activities at IORS, MUW, and UHEI. Dr. Mišík discussed studies on radiation-induced DNA damage for predicting adverse effects of radiotherapy and showed the initial results of the WP2 task devoted to radiation-induced DNA damage assessment in prostate cancer patients treated at the IORS. Dr. Petrović and Mr. Šami presented the RadExIORSBoost report on RNA sequencing analysis. Dr. Matić shared findings on lymphocyte radiosensitivity investigation in the RadExIORSBoost project and results of the RILA and comet assays. Prof. Veldwijk and Mr. Šami provided the current state of their WP2 research task.
The fourth session “The latest from the clinic“ provided participants opportunity to learn about state-of-the-art approaches in radiotherapy for prostate cancer from Dr. Ehmann, radiogenomics of adverse effects in breast cancer from Dr. Rattay, and predictors of normal tissue radiation toxicity in prostate cancer patients from Dr. Kopčalić.
During the three-day programme, participants exchanged scientific knowledge and new results. They discussed current advances in radiobiology, radiogenomics, translational cancer research, and radiotherapy, as well as the ongoing activities and future objectives of the RadExIORSBoost project.
The RadExIORSBoost project team sincerely thanks the organizers, all lecturers, and participants for their valuable contributions, exceptional programme, and inspiring discussions to boost the scientific excellence of the team.
