RISC-RAD stands for Radiosensitivity of Individuals and Susceptibility to Cancer induced by ionizing RADiations. 

Cells, the basic component of all living organisms, are sensitive to radiation. This sensitivity is recorded to differ between individuals. At a molecular level, damages in irradiated cells are immediate. They affect the cell's genetic material. At a cellular level, effects are delayed and include death of cells, genomic instability in the progeny of irradiated cells, and other non-targeted effects. At the organism's level, exposure to radiation induce development of tumors. This multistage process is long and complex, so cancers appear up to twenty years after irradiation. Susceptibility to this kind of cancer is thought be have genetic components.

RISC-RAD is a european project carrying out scientific research in the field of radiobiology. It is funded by the European Commission in the framework of a dedicated programme supporting research in the Nuclear sector (Euratom). RISC-RAD started on 1st January 2004 for a duration of four years. It involves 11 european countries (Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom).  

RISC-RAD  gathers a large multidisciplinary consortium of 29 European organisations :

• 10 national research entities, 3 national radiation protection institutes
• 13 Universities, 3 National Cancer Institutes
• 1 private (not-for-profit) organisation

33 teams specialised in radiobiology, genetics, molecular biology, biophysics, oncology, modelling involve more than 380 persons (scientists, post-doc, PhD, undergratuate students, technical assistants, administratives…)

A project board is responsible for the scientific approach. The French Atomic Energy commission is in charge of the coordination and overall management.

Ionizing radiation. X-rays, neutrons, alpha- and beta-particles … come from natural environment or are produced by human activities. Apart from nuclear facilities (including fission and fusion reactors, radioactive waste repositories, etc.), industry and medicine (radiotherapy…) also include utilisation of radioactive products or radiations. Exposure to high level of ionizing radiation clearly leads to development of cancers. But effects on human health of low level of exposure to radiations can not be reliably assessed by epidemiological methods, nor is thoroughly understood by scientists. Gaps in knowledge remain about these effects. So, RISC-RAD European research project intends to improve understanding of processes involved in radiation-induced carcinogenesis.

Who is at higher risk ? is one of the issues.  It appears that there are variations in individual responses to radiations. Like sensitivity to sun light, radiosensitivity is different between people. So quantification of risk requires the identification of new parameters taking into account these differences in radiation responses : RISC-RAD co-operative research addresses the scientific basis which will eventually lead to characterizing the risk on an individual basis.

The activity of RISC-RAD is divided in 7 work packages (WP) :

• WP1, WP2, WP3, WP4 and WP5 carry out research in different fields : DNA repair,  genomic instability, tumour development, modelisation 
• WP6 takes care of the exploitation and dissemination of the results.
• WP7 deals with the management of the project.