Research in Radiobiology has been ongoing since the 1970s by Dr Carmel Mothersill with the Radiation Science Centre established in 1990. The effects of ionising and non-ionising radiation on both mammalian and aquatic species have been investigated.
Non-targeted (non-DNA) effects such as bystander effects (effects in cells not hit by a radiation track), genomic instability (effects in the progeny of irradiated cells) and adaptive responses (in cells exposed to a high challenging dose after pretreatment with a low adapting dose) have been the main focus over the last 10-15 years.
Translational research, involving the correlation of patient radiosensitivity with radiotherapy response and the identification of biomarkers of radiosensitivity, is also conducted.