Evaluation of Space and Terrestrial Radiation-Associated Lifetime Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer Risks: Mitigation Strategies

From January 2025 the project is funded and administered by the Higher Education and Science Committee of Armenia.

Principal Investigator: Prof. David Goukassian

University: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Research team: Arsen Arakelyan, Ani Stepanyan, Siras Hakobyan, Suren Davitavyan, Gisane Khachatryan, Ania Baghoomian, Roksana Zakharyan

Contributing Researchers: Tamara Sirunyan, Gohar Tsakanova

Duration: 2023-2027

Project Importance

The high likelihood of developing genomic instability due to exposure to ionizing radiation suggests that exposure can cause DNA damage to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), promoting the development of somatic mutations that can lead to aberrant clonal events. Thus, it is conceivable that space and/or terrestrial (e.g., cancer radiotherapy) radiation-induced CHIP can be a common underlying mechanism that can contribute to both cancer and CVD over the lifetime. However, there is a paucity of longitudinal data in humans and animal models of ionizing radiation-induces genomic instability (including CHIP) and its role in disease development in various organs.

Expected Results

(i) identification of common mechanisms/pathways between ionizingradiation associated cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks and similar disease processes caused by genetic susceptibility and/or aging related factors;

(ii) comparative analysis of results/data and testable hypotheses on cross-talk between potential pathways underlying space IR associated cancer and CVD risks supporting biomarker identification;

(iii) provide a frameworkfor identification of individual susceptibility, predictive genetic biomarkers and development of mitigation strategies;

(iv) accelerate lifetime risk characterization of carcinogenesis and acute/degenerative CVD development to inform mitigation strategies;

(v) identify specific somatic mutations in known CHIP "driver" genes during the lifetime of mice that could provide a framework for identification of individual susceptibility, predictive genetic biomarkers and development of mitigation strategies.