Selected Presentations
2017 Scientific Advisory Committee Meeting
Updates from WSU Biomedical Sciences and the College of Pharmacy – Meier, K.
The College of Pharmacy’s relationship to the USTUR was summarized and news from WSU Spokane’s campus and the College of Pharmacy was summarized. News items included the new WSU Spokane chancellor, the first cohort of medical students at WSU Spokane, and College of Pharmacy expenditures and student enrollment.
2017 Financial & Administrative Development – Bedell, M.
Administrative and financial information was summarized including: personnel, the FY2017 budget vs. spending, the FY218 budget, faculty promotions, and the USTUR’s 50th anniversary.
2016 SAC Recommendations & 2017 Overview – Tolmachev, S.
The SAC’s recommendations from last year’s meeting, and the way the USTUR addressed each recommendation, were presented. This was followed by an overview of 2017 activities, which included: the USTUR’s 5-year grant renewal, IRB changes, the health physics database, NHRTR inventory, in-house radiochemistry, academic activities, and the USTUR/WSU-KEEA partnership.
Registrant Statistics and IRB Changes – McComish, S.
Registrant statistics were given, and the exposure scenarios for four recently deceased donors were summarized. Additionally, the USTUR is changing its institutional review board (IRB) of record from WSU to the Central Department of Energy IRB. Details of this change was presented.
USTUR Health Physics Database – Avtandilashvili, M.
Progress toward entering data from each Registrant’s dosimetry file into the USTUR’s electronic Health Physics Database was summarized. Highest priority was given to new donations, followed by living Registrants. As of August 2017, 108,649 records from 222 cases had been entered into the database.
National Human Radiobiological Tissue Repository – McComish, S.
The association between generation of NHRTR samples and USTUR laboratory activities following a donation was explored. The status of NHRTR inventory projects, and associated data trends, were also described.
2017 Radiochemistry Progress Report – Tabatadze, G.
Operation of the radiochemistry laboratory was described. Topics included tissue analyses, equipment upgrades, facility maintenance, and the design and implementation of a radiochemistry database.
Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology – Clark, A.
INST is a multidisciplinary research program that includes researchers from several institutions including WSU, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Idaho National Laboratory. An overview of the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology was provided, and specific research topics were described.
Radiochemical Separations for “Unusual” Sample Matrices – Sudowe, R.
Emergency response scenarios would require laboratories to have the radioanalytical capability to analyze “unusual matrices” such as cement and steel. Challenges associated with these matrices, and work to develop radioanalytical methods for them, were discussed.
Enhancement of Plutonium Excretion Following Late Ca-EDTA/DTPA Treatment – Dumit, S.
Plutonium enhancement factors for case 0785 following Ca-EDTA/DTPA treatment were discussed, as was the effectiveness of initial vs. delayed treatments, and the half-time of the Pu-EDTA complex removal from the urine. This presentation was previously given at the 2017 Health Physics Society annual meeting.
USTUR Research: Land of Opportunity – Avtandilashvili, M.
The USTUR has detailed work histories, medical and exposure records, bioassay results, autopsy findings, and radiochemical tissue analysis results for each of its Registrants. Thus it is a unique and important resource for studying both actinides and non-radioactive materials. Specific research opportunities were summarized in this presentation, which was previously given at the 2017 EURADOS annual meeting.
Research Plan and Operation in FY2018 – Tolmachev, S.
The USTUR’s research and operational goals for the next year were summarized. Topics included: management and operation of the Registries, conducting scientific research, and demonstrating/promoting the broader use of USTUR research, data, and materials.