The Biological Radiation Effects Group was established in 2007. The group focuses on cutting-edge scientific issues in radiation biology, addressing major national demands in nuclear safety and public health. It is dedicated to long-term research on the mechanisms of heavy-ion biological effects, radiation damage assessment and protection, actively promoting advances in nuclear medicine and space life sciences.

The group boasts a young and innovative research team, the currently eight fellows comprising of professors, associate professor and assistant professors. The group maintains a steady cohort of 10–20 graduate students, many of whom have received awards including the National Scholarship and the Zhu Li Yue Hua Scholarship.

Relying on the national major scientific facility—the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL), the group has built an advanced ground-based simulation platform for integrated space environments and a well-equipped biology laboratory. It has also been approved as the "Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Space Radiation Biology". To date, the group has undertaken over 30 major research projects and has published more than 100 SCI-indexed papers.

(1) Frontier Basic Research on Heavy-Ion Biological Effects

Focusing on key scientific questions in the biological effects of ionizing radiation, especially heavy-ion radiation, we conduct systematic multi-scale investigations ranging from molecular pathways, subcellular structures, and organoids to animal models and clinical studies. Our main research directions include: mechanisms of radiation damage and repair, pathways of cellular senescence and death, radiation non-target effects, and immune system responses.

(2) Radiation Damage Risk Assessment and Protection

Addressing major demands in radiation damage assessment and protection for space radiation and nuclear medicine, we carry out multidimensional studies on the effects of high-energy heavy ions, protons, and other environmental factors (such as microgravity, circadian rhythms, and weak magnetic fields) on cells, tissues and organs, biomolecules in body fluids, and animal behavior. We aim to elucidate the short- and long-term effects and mechanisms of radiation damage, identify novel biomarkers and protective targets, and establish a radiation damage risk assessment method that includes biodosimeters, detection kits, and predictive models, thereby promoting the development and application of safe and efficient radioprotective drugs.

Key publications:

1. Honokiol protects against heavy-ion radiation-induced oxidative damage via the thioredoxin system. Free Radic Biol Med. 2025,238:235-245

2. Anthraquinone Rhein Mitigates Heavy Ion Radiation-Induced Lung Injury by Maintaining Thioredoxin Reductase/Thioredoxin (TrxR/Trx) Redox Homeostasis. Mol Pharm. 2025,22(11):6714-6727

3. The DNA-PKcs-primary cilia axis maintains ionizing radiation-induced senescence in tumor cells. Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica. 2025. doi: 10.3724/abbs.2025168.

4. Primary cilium restricts TGF-β/SMAD signaling induced RIBEs in the co-culture model. Cellular Signalling. 2025, 111891.

5. Primary cilium participates in radiation-induced bystander effects through TGF-β1 signaling. Cell Physiol. 2024 239(2):e31163

6. YAP/Aurora A-mediated ciliogenesis regulates ionizing radiation-induced senescence via Hedgehog pathway in tumor cells. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease. 2024, 1870(4): 167062

7. Ionizing radiation-induced mitophagy promotes ferroptosis by increasing intracellular free fatty acids. Cell Death Differ. 2023, 30(11):2432-2445.

8. Regulation of Circulating miR-342-3p Alleviates the Radiation-Induced Immune System Injury. Radiation Research. 2023, 200(6):556-568

9. Identification of the Kupffer cell-derived circulating IGFBP-3 as a universal radiation biomarker for heavy ion, proton, and X-ray exposure. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 2023 15(265):115526

10. Primary cilium participates in radiation-induced bystander effects through TGF-β1 signaling. J Cell Physiol. 2024, 239(2):e31163.

11. Inhibition of Ciliogenesis Enhances the Cellular Sensitivity to Temozolomide and Ionizing Radiation in Human Glioblastoma Cells. Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. 2022, 35(5): 419-436

12. MiR-663a Inhibits Radiation-Induced Epithelium-to-Mesenchymal Transition by Targeting TGF-β1. Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. 2022.35(5):437-44

13. Circulating tRNA-Derived Small RNAs as Novel Radiation Biomarkers of Heavy Ion, Proton and X-ray Exposure. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(24):13476

14. Carbon ion radiotherapy triggers immunogenic cell death and sensitizes melanoma to anti-PD-1 therapy in mice. Oncoimmunology. 2022 Mar 25;11(1):2057892

15. Cancer-associated fibroblasts in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cell Death and Disease. 2022 Oct 25;13(10):897

16. Osthole ameliorates simulated microgravity-induced bone loss through down-regulation of miR-34c-5p. Acta Astronautica. 2021, 183: 141-152

17. Carbon ion radiotherapy boosts anti-tumour immune responses by inhibiting myeloid-derived suppressor cells in melanoma-bearing mice. Cell Death Discovery. 2021, 7:332

18. Ionizing radiation downregulates estradiol synthesis via endoplasmic reticulum stress and inhibits the proliferation of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells. Cell Death and Disease. 2021 Oct 29;12(11):1029

19. Identification of novel biomarkers of heavy ion exposure: Proteins, miRNAs and tRNA-derived fragments in serum. Acta Astronautica. 2021, 186:329-336

20. MDMX phosphorylation-dependent p53 downregulation contributes to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Journal of Molecular Cell Biology. 2020, 12(9), 713–722

21. Astragalus polysaccharide inhibits radiation-induced bystander effects by regulating apoptosis in bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs). Cell Cycle. 2020, 19(22): 3195-3207

22. Primary cilia act as microgravity sensors by depolymerizing microtubules to inhibit osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization. Bone. 2020 (136) 115346

Key patens:

1. Virus Culture Method "ZL201710024331.2/2020.01.31"

2. A Serum miRNA Marker and Its Method for Detecting Ionizing Radiation Damage "201811494228.5/2021.10.8"

3. Reagent for Detecting or Assessing Ionizing Radiation Damage and Its tRNA-Derived Fragment "202111474076.4/2022.08.02"

4. Combination of Five Cytokines as Biomarkers for Ionizing Radiation Damage "ZL201911065538.X/2023.07.14"

5. A Method and System for Counting Nuclei and Organelles and Calculating Their Areas "ZL202011095593.6/2023.12.29"

6. A Device for Simulating Bone Mineral Loss and Its Use Method "ZL201610615393.6/2024.04.02"

7. A Research Method for Studying the Effects of Mechanical Forces on Bone "ZL201811618809.5/2024.09.17"

Awards:

1. Study on the Mechanism of let-7-Mediated c-myc Gene Regulation in Multidrug Resistance of Gastric Cancer, Second Prize of the 2018 Science and Technology Progress Award of Gansu Provincial People's Government