Molecular determinants of Radiosensitivity

Radiation kills cancer cells, but some tumours shrug it off while others are destroyed—and no one fully knows why. This matters because radiotherapy is one of the most effective cancer treatments, second only to surgery. Yet its success varies unpredictably from patient to patient. Some of that variation comes from the cancer itself: certain tumours are inherently resistant to radiation, meaning patients may receive high doses with limited benefit, or suffer side effects from doses that are too high for their particular tumour. The researchers want to identify the molecular mechanisms—the specific proteins, genes, or cellular pathways—that determine whether a cancer is radiosensitive or radioresistant. If they succeed, the impact could be twofold. First, it might allow doctors to tailor radiation doses to individual tumours, maximising effect while minimising harm. Second, it could reveal drug targets: compounds that, when given alongside radiation, make resistant cancers more vulnerable. That could improve cure rates without increasing toxicity. This is fundamental biology with a clear translational goal—understanding the basic machinery of cellular response to radiation, then exploiting that knowledge to make an existing treatment work better for more people.