More than 180 people attended the John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences and Environmental Health’s Fourth Annual Symposium: "Radiation Damage to DNA: Repair and Cellular Responses" on October 12 and 13 in Snyder Auditorium, drawing the largest attendance since the symposium’s initiation.

Sponsored by the center, the annual symposium brings together internationally recognized scientists to discuss specific areas of current interest in radiation biology.

The symposium is named after John B. Little, professor emeritus in the Department of Cancer Cell Biology.

This year’s symposium focused on cellular responses to radiation-induced DNA damage and metabolic processes that help repair the damage. Topics included clustered damage and complex interactions, mechanisms of double-strand break repair, and cell responses to radiation damage.

More than 15 experts spoke at the symposium.

Bruce Demple, professor of toxicology in the Department of Cancer Cell Biology, opened the symposium. He noted that the center was established to foster research and teaching in the field of radiation biology, and that it had been important in the recent recruitment of two junior faculty to the Department of Cancer Cell Biology. The theme of the symposium reflected the broad interests and accomplishments of Little, he said. The program demonstrated the intersection of radiation biology with diverse fields ranging from DNA repair to cellular signal transduction and from apoptosis to immunology.

Every year at the symposium, the center gives an award to an outstanding scientist. This year, James German, professor of pediatrics at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, received the award for his contributions to the field of human genetics. German is an expert on Bloom’s Syndrome, a rare, genetic disease that predisposes people to cancer. It is found primarily in Ashkenazi Jews. German’s studies were central to identifying the mutated gene responsible for the syndrome.

The Merck Company and Morningside Foundation supported the symposium.