title: The RABIT: a rapid automated biodosimetry tool for radiological triage.
abstract: In response to the recognized need for high throughput biodosimetry methods for use after large-scale radiological events, a logical approach is complete automation of standard biodosimetric assays that are currently performed manually. The authors describe progress to date on the RABIT (Rapid Automated BIodosimetry Tool), designed to score micronuclei or gamma-H2AX fluorescence in lymphocytes derived from a single drop of blood from a fingerstick. The RABIT system is designed to be completely automated, from the input of the capillary blood sample into the machine to the output of a dose estimate. Improvements in throughput are achieved through use of a single drop of blood, optimization of the biological protocols for in situ analysis in multi-well plates, implementation of robotic-plate and liquid handling, and new developments in high-speed imaging. Automating well-established bioassays represents a promising approach to high-throughput radiation biodosimetry, both because high throughputs can be achieved, but also because the time to deployment is potentially much shorter than for a new biological assay. Here the authors describe the development of each of the individual modules of the RABIT system and show preliminary data from key modules. System integration is ongoing, followed by calibration and validation.
authors.affiliation: Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garty
authors.forename: Youhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salerno
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Oleksandra
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lyulko
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bertucci
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hongliang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Nabil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Simaan
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Randers-Pehrson
authors.forename: Y Lawrence
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Sally A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Amundson
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Brenner
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D001822:Body Burden; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D011874:Radiometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods*