Participating Labs

Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (Bethesda, MD)

You must be 16 or older to participate in SEAP at AFRRI

Program Dates: June 25, 2012 to August 17, 2012

About AFRRI

The unique resources of the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute enable advancements in the protection of soldiers and citizens. The AFRRI mission is to preserve the health and performance of U.S. military personnel and to protect humankind through research that advances understanding of the effects of ionizing radiation.

To these ends, the institute collaborates with other government facilities, academic institutions, and civilian laboratories in the United States and other countries to research the biological effects of ionizing radiation. In addition, it provides medical training and emergency response to manage incidents related to radiation exposure.

Congress approved the construction of the AFRRI facility on June 8, 1960; ground was broken on November 29 that year. The institute was formally established as a joint agency of the three military departments on May 12, 1961, and has operated continuously since 1962.

Located on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the institute is ideally situated to collaborate with the National Institutes of Health as well as the military medical and research communities. It is part of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) under the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs [ASD(HA)].

Research Programs

The military services look to the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute for developments that will preserve the health and performance of our forces in the face of extraordinary threats on and off the battlefield. The investment in the human factor that AFRRI represents is vital to the national defense effort and also provides substantial benefits to humanity in general. AFRRI missions include the following:

Focus on the customer - Through a broad-based, customer-oriented program, the Institute maintains the research program essential to the development of applications that meet the ever-changing needs of the military services. AFRRI addresses the services' requirements simultaneously from three perspectives: prevention of health hazards, assessment of biological damage, and treatment of injuries resulting from exposure to ionizing radiation alone or in combination with chemical or biological agents encountered on the battlefield. 

Military relevance - Advances in radioprotection strategies enable military forces to operate, when required, in nuclear or radioactive combat environments while minimizing both long- and short-term risks of the consequences of exposure to ionizing radiation. Accurate casualty prediction models promote effective command decisions and force structure planning. Advanced biological dosimetry methodology is used in triage, treatment decisions, and risk assessment. Together, the results of the three research thrusts improve therapeutic strategies for the treatment and prevention of early and long-term health effects and mitigate the risks to our personnel and their offspring.

Unique contributions - In addition, AFRRI provides specialized expertise to evaluate and model radiological insults combined with other battlefield insults such as infection, disease, and biological warfare and chemical warfare agents. AFRRI acts as the catalyst, in collaborations with the worldwide scientific community, to publish medical and technical information based on data from nuclear accidents or incidents in other countries, including those in states of the former Soviet Union.

Civilian applications - Humanity in general benefits from research and development in these areas; such developments are applicable to rescue operations involving, for example, terrorist actions or industrial nuclear accidents. The core competence in radiation biophysics and the technical database developed from AFRRI research are also applicable to astronauts exposed to space radiation.

Research Areas

AFRRI research focuses on methods to prevent, assess, and treat injuries resulting from the effects of ionizing radiation.

• Countermeasure development - With an understanding of the mechanisms of radiation damage, AFRRI scientists are pursuing new and improved pharmacological approaches to prevent the life-threatening and health-degrading effects of ionizing radiation. Using novel cellular and molecular approaches and animal models, they move these potentially life-saving drugs from discovery through the Food and Drug Administration approval process.
• Assessing the risks - Accurate casualty prediction models promote effective command decisions and force structure planning. AFRRI research examines the impact of radiation injury combined with additional trauma, disease, chemical exposures, and other battlefield challenges. Investigations also assess the potential health effects of internal contamination and metal toxicity of militarily relevant metals that may become embedded as shrapnel, such as depleted uranium and tungsten alloys.
•  Biological dosimetry - Scientists also seek to develop rapid, high-precision analytical methods that assess radiation exposure doses from clinical samples and thus aid in the triage and medical management of radiological casualties. Researchers are developing dose-assessment assays that test easily obtained samples such as a drop of blood, urine, or hair with transportable equipment. With innovative approaches, they also are improving the accuracy, dose range, ease of use, and speed of classical biodosimetry, which is based on cytogenetic damage.

For information: 

Joshua Swift  swift@afrri.usuhs.mil  301-295-1947