ERRS 2025 Programme

Wednesday, 3rd September

What’s next for radiation biomarkers?

Elizabeth A. Ainsbury is an international recognised radiation protection scientist working at the UK Health Security Agency and Brunel University on the short and long term risks of low dose radiation exposure, radiation emergency preparedness and response and wider safe use of radiation in society, with a particular interest in radiation biomarkers of exposure, response and risk assessment. Professor Ainsbury has led and contributed to many large scale collaboratively research programmes, has published over 130 peer-review journal papers, regularly speaks at international conferences and teaches and lectures including at various UK and overseas Universities. Professor Ainsbury contributes to international activities focused on the System of Radiological Protection including through membership of the International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP) Committee 1: Radiation Effects and the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).

Biological effects of charged particles: modelling approaches for hadron therapy and space research (TBC)

Francesca Ballarini is Associate Professor at the University of Pavia, Italy, where she teaches several classes (including Medical Physics, Radiation Protection, and Physics for Hadrontherapy), she is President of the Applied Nuclear Energy Laboratory, and she leads the group of Computational Radiobiology of the Physics Department. Since her MSc in Physics in 1997, her research activity focuses on modelling the effects of ionizing radiation, with applications for cancer hadron therapy as well as astronauts’ radiation protection; in particular, FB is main author of the BIANCA biophysical model, which simulates the induction of cell death and chromosome damage by radiation. This research activity is carried out in collaboration with different institutions including CNAO (National Centre for Oncological Hadrontherapy) and HIT (Heidelberg Ion-beam Therapy centre). FB published 113 articles in Scopus-indexed journals (h-index=32) and 3 book chapters, and delivered more than 40 invited talks. Furthermore, FB was President of the Italian Society for Radiation Research (SIRR), member of the Board of Councillors of the International  Association  for Radiation Research (IARR), editor of the journal Frontiers in Oncology, and member of the scientific and/or organizing committee for many national or international conferences and schools.

Protontherapy: the holy grail of radiotherapy?

Novel alpha emitters for targeted alpha therapy: promises and challenges

Prof Thomas Elias Cocolios is a professor of nuclear physics at the KU Leuven Institute of Nuclear and Radiation Physics. His research covers a broad spectrum of investigations with radioactive ion beams for fundamental and applied research, mostly at the CERN radioactive ion beam facility ISOLDE. Thomas is a member of the board of the CERN MEDICIS facility (MEDical Isotopes Collected from ISOLDE) for the production of novel medical radionuclides for research, and the Dissemination Manager and Training Officer of PRISMAP, the European medical radionuclide programme.

Radiation Risks to Major Organs in Children and Adolescents Treated for Cancer: Insights from European Studies

The role of TGF-beta3 in radiation response

Nina Jeppesen Edin, Professor of Physics and Head of the Section for Biophysics and Medical Physics at the University of Oslo, conducts interdisciplinary research bridging radiation physics and radiobiology. Her main research interests include low dose/dose rate effects, TGF-β3 signaling in radiation response, the differential molecular and immunogenic responses of proton versus X-ray irradiation, and the effects of spatially fractionated particle radiation.

Radiobiological perspectives of the use of densely ionizing radiation for the treatment of tumors combined with immunotherapy

Prof. Dr. Claudia Fournier is head of the research group “Immune and Tissue Effects after Densely Ionizing Radiation” (Department of Biophysics) at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany. Her research has focused on preclinical studies to explore potential therapeutic effects of low-dose exposure (especially radon). More recently, she has been working on combinations of different concepts of immunotherapies with heavy ion radiotherapy for the treatment of tumors. She holds an honorary professorship at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. She is active in various radiation protection advisory bodies (SSK, Radiation Protection Commission, member of the board; member of the German delegation to UNSCEAR) and committees (KVSF, Competence Network for Radiation Research; has been a long-standing member of the board of the DeGBS, German Society for Biological Radiation Research). 

Radiation for Space Propulsion : LightSails, Photon Rockets and Interplanetary Ramjets 

Pr. André Füzfa is a theoretical astrophysicist based at the Institute for Complex Systems at the University of Namur (Belgium). He has a research background in cosmology, modified gravity and tests of general relativity, electromagnetic detection of ultra-high frequency gravitational waves as well as sci-fi inspired topics like gravitational field generators and modeling interstellar travel. He is also strongly involved into science dissemination, notably through popularizing astronomy at the observatory of the University of Namur and writing hard science-fiction books.

Proton Therapy: the European perspective

Karin Haustermans graduated in 1987 as Doctor in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics (MD) at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven, Belgium). In 1993, she completed her training and qualification in Radiation Oncology. After a research fellowship at the Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy (KU Leuven), she obtained her PhD in Medical Sciences for which she received in 1996 the ESTRO-VARIAN Clinical Research Award. Thereafter she spent four years as a staff member at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam.

Currently, Karin Haustermans is Medical Director of Protontherapy PARTICLE and member of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Board of the Leuven Cancer Institute at the University Hospital Leuven (Belgium). She is full Professor at the KU Leuven. She is specialized in GI and GU oncology. From 2006 to 2009 she held the Chair of the EORTC Radiation Oncology Group and from 2009 until 2015 she was Chair of the Quality Assurance Committee of EORTC. She is also involved in the Belgian Cancer Registry as a member of the board and chair of the Coordination Council.

In 2010 she was awarded the ESTRO Breur medal in recognition of her major contribution to European Radiotherapy. From 2011 onwards she was appointed as a member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine, in 2015 she became a fellow of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences and in 2024 member of the Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina. Since 2016 she is clinical editor of Radiotherapy & Oncology.

Lessons from the extremes: radiation tolerance in desiccation-resistant organisms from earth to space

Dr. Boris Hespeels is the scientific manager of multiple space-related projects at UNamur, working at the intersection of physics and biology. His research focuses on understanding how extremotolerant organisms, such as bdelloid rotifers and Physarum polycephalum, respond to and recover from cellular damage caused by high doses of radiation (>500 Gy) and the conditions encountered during spaceflight. A key focus is how poly-extremophiles manage genomic instability and the mechanisms they use to repair it. He also explores the broader concept of radiation resistance by studying unconventional model organisms, such as ants, to better understand survival strategies across the tree of life. A central theme of his work is the adaptation and response of life to spaceflight, including exposure to the external space environment. To date, he has contributed to the implementation and analysis of three space experiments on board ISS and is currently coordinating new ESA-supported missions.

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Reinhilde Jacobs is dentist, Doctor in Dental Sciences (PhD University of Leuven), periodontologist (KU Leuven) and Master in Dental Radiology (University of London). She is full professor at KULeuven and visiting professor at Karolinksa Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and Dalian Medical University in China. R. Jacobs is heading the omfs impath research group of the KU Leuven (www.omfsimpath.be), being responsible for research, education in the field of dentomaxillofacial radiology meanwhile being Clinical Head of the DentoMaxilloFacial Imaging Center of the University Hospitals UZ KULeuven. She is Secretary General of the International Association of DentoMaxilloFacial Radiology andPresident-elect of Digital Dentistry Society. Furthermore, she is also section editor of Clinical Oral Investigations, International Journal of Oral Implantology, European Journal of Radiology and Journal of Dentistry. She has received the D Collen Research Travel Award (1994), a postdoctoral fellowship of the European Commission (1994-95) for work with Prof P- I Brånemark (Univ Göteborg), the IADR Young Investigators Award (1998) and the Belgian Joachim Award in the Odontostomatology (1999). In 2013, she received a Dr Honoris Causa at the "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca. She is involved in many multidisciplinary and interuniversity research collaborations and has been actively participating in 5 European projects (ref. Pisa, Minosquare, Osteodent, SedentexCT, Dimitra). She is (co-)author of 6 books and more than 650 publications in peer-reviewed journals besides multiple invited lectures and publications.

Biology Without the Microscope? Enter Radiogenomics 

Prof. Philippe Lambin is a clinician-scientist and radiation oncologist internationally recognized for pioneering work in radiomics, tumor hypoxia, and decision support systems. He holds a PhD in Molecular Radiation Biology and is a Professor of Precision Medicine at Maastricht University. He has received numerous prestigious grants, including an ERC Advanced Grant, three ERC Proof of Concept Grants, and the EIC Accelerator. His academic contributions include over 647 peer-reviewed publications, more than 75,000 citations, and an h-index of 132 (Google Scholar). He is the co-inventor of over 23 patent families—10 in (pre)commercialization—and has supervised over 80 PhD students. Lambin has led over 30 clinical trials as Principal Investigator and helped develop key innovations such as radiomics, federated learning, LSRT ("drugless radiotherapy"), and genetically engineered bacteria for cancer therapy. He is a thought leader in precision oncology, consistently translating scientific insights into clinical and commercial applications that benefit patients.

Environmental radiobiology: importance of multiple stressor context and effects in human and non-human biota

Joana Lourenço is an Assistant Researcher at the CESAM & the Department of Biology of the University of Aveiro. Her research focuses on the identification of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the effects of environmental stressors-particularly naturally occurring radionuclides, metals, and complex contaminant mixtures-on human and non-human biota and also includes the identification of biomarkers of exposure to improve current environmental risk assessment frameworks. She has contributed to several national and international research projects, including RadoNorm, Epiboost, and SOILgenoMIC, where she has played a leading role in the identification and validation of molecular biomarkers for environmental monitoring, exposure characterization, risk assessment, and the study of transgenerational effects of contaminant exposure. She is a member of the European Radioecology Alliance (ALLIANCE), she is the co-coordinator of the "EFFECTS" working group and she is the Portuguese representative in the Council of the European Radiation Research Society.

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Heidi Lyng is leader of the Clinical Radiation Biology Group at Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, and Professor at Department of Physics, University of Oslo in Norway. She is head of the regional research network in radiation oncology (NIRO), which works to facilitate collaborations across disciplines and professions in radiotherapy research. Lyng’s research is in close collaboration with the clinic, using biopsies and medical images collected in clinical studies. Her work aims to develop biomarkers for radiotherapy response and to find targets for therapeutic intervention in combination with radiation. The integration of genomics and medical imaging in her research has led to new understanding of tumor hypoxia in cervical and prostate cancer and biomarkers that are currently evaluated in a clinical trial.

The use of Monte Carlo simulations to balance operator dose, patient dose and image quality in the cath lab

Rodrigo Massera is a research associate at KU Leuven (Belgium) and holds a PhD in Applied Physics from the University of Campinas (Brazil), awarded in 2022. His research focuses on dosimetry and image quality in X-ray imaging, with a particular emphasis on Monte Carlo simulations. He has worked on multiscale breast dosimetry and dose prediction using AI-based methods. Currently, he is involved in system modeling and the optimization of exposure parameters in interventional radiology and cardiac imaging. His work also explores the impact of these parameters on radiation doses to both patients and medical staff.

An Ethics of Care Approach to Radiological Risk Governance

Gaston Meskens holds master degrees in theoretical physics and nuclear engineering from the University of Ghent (Belgium) and works part-time with the Science, Technology and Society group of the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK CEN and with the Centre for Ethics and Value Inquiry of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy of Ghent University. At the Centre for Ethics and Value Inquiry, his research focuses on a human rights perspective related to intellectual capacity building in the interest of global sustainable development governance. At SCK CEN, his research and outreach is concerned with the ethics of science and technology in general and with the ethical aspects of dealing with nuclear technology in particular.  His Seminars on Ethics of Science and Technology are part of multiple international training programmes and university curricula.

He has built up more than twenty years of experience in transdisciplinary research related to the ethics of governance of issues such as sustainable development, energy, climate change and radioactive waste management and with working in and around the policy processes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), the United Nations Non-Proliferation Treaty process (UN-NPT) and of the research-related activities of the European Commission. Since 2006, he is member of the steering committee of the Constituency of Research-oriented Independent Non-Governmental Organisations towards the UNFCCC (the constituency that represents the global scientific world in the United Nations Climate Change negotiation process).

Shields Up! Tackling space radiation for future missions

Silvana completed her Doctorate Degree in Biosciences and Engineering from the University of Ghent at SCK CEN in Belgium where she focused her rersearch on the immune system dysfunction in space, utilizing ground-based facilities and models to simulate space conditions. She is now a postdoctoral researcher at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, in Germany investigating the potential of carbon ion radiotherapy for treating radioresistant cancers.  Her academic background includes a Bachelor's degree in Radiotherapy and a Master's degree with which she explored the role of mitochondria in the non-targeted effects of ionizing radiation.

Hyperthermia as radio- and chemosensitizer (TBC)

Dr. Arlene Leonie Oei is a biomedical scientist and currently assistant professor and group leader of radiobiology and hyperthermia research at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Amsterdam UMC. She earned her degrees in Biomedical Sciences from the Free University of Brussels (BSc) and Radboud University Nijmegen (MSc), and completed her PhD at the University of Amsterdam in 2017, focusing on enhancing radiotherapy and chemotherapy through hyperthermia. She continued her research as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Oei currently serves in several leadership roles, including vice president of the Society for Thermal Medicine (STM), board member of the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology (ESHO), secretary of Thermotherapy Netherlands (TTNL), and board member of the Netherlands Society for Radiobiology (NVRB), where she also represents the society at the International Congress for Radiation Research (ICRR). In addition, she is a volunteer editor for Stichting Olijf, supporting women with gynecological cancers.

Dose-response during Targeted Radionuclide  Therapy: How to combine it with immunotherapy

Dr Jean-Pierre Pouget obtained his PhD thesis in Radiobiology in 2000 from the Curie Institute in Paris and carried-out a post-doctoral fellowship in the Nuclear Medicine Research Laboratory at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. He then moved to Paris to the French Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (IRSN) for 4 years where he worked on radiation casualties. After moving to Montpellier, he joined INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale), where he is currently research director and head of the "Radiobiology for targeted and personalised radiotherapy" team at the Institut de recherche en cancérologie de Montpellier (INSERM, France). His work focuses mainly on the radiobiology of radiopharmaceuticals used in cancer imaging and therapy (targeted radionuclide therapy, TRT). More specifically, he is studying the role of the targeted (radiative) and non-targeted (secondary and systemic/immune) effects of TRT. These effects involve intercellular communications mediated by small extracellular vesicles and activation of the immune system via cGAS-STING pathways. The ultimate goal of his multidisciplinary team is to optimize cancer TRT through a better understanding of the radiobiological aspects. He has published over 90 articles and book chapters on radiobiology and radionuclide therapy, as well as several patents. In addition to his research activities, Dr Pouget teaches at the University of Montpellier, INSTN Saclay, the University of Grenoble and the University of Marseille. He is a member of the EANM TMI&T Committee and head of the EANM Radiobiology Group. He is President of the French Radiobiology Society (SFBR). His team is accredited by the National Cancer League.

Organoid models to study radiation effects in neurodevelopment and glioblastoma

Roel Quintens, Pharm., PhD., is a senior scientist from the Radiobiology Unit at the Institute of Nuclear Medical Applications of the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Belgium. Until recently, his main research topics were related to identification of transcriptional biomarkers of radiation exposure, and mechanistic understanding of the effects of radiation on neurodevelopment. His current research focuses on cellular plasticity and treatment resistance in glioblastoma and the development of novel in vitro glioblastoma models to predict patient's response to therapy, including targeted radionuclide therapy.

How much do ⁶⁸Ga, ¹⁷⁷Lu- and ¹³¹I-based radiopharmaceuticals contribute to the global radiation exposure of nuclear medicine staff?

Dr. Lara Struelens is Head of the Research in Dosimetric Applications unit at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN) in Mol, where she leads a multidisciplinary team dedicated to advancing radiation dosimetry across medical and occupational domains. She earned her PhD in Applied Sciences from the Free University of Brussels in 2005, with a focus on experimental dosimetry and Monte Carlo simulations for dose optimization in medical imaging. Her current research interests encompass radiation dosimetry in nuclear medicine and radiotherapy, computational modeling for dose assessment, and radiation protection for both patients and professionals.

Dr. Struelens has been an active member of the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) for two decades and currently chairs the working group on ‘Dosimetry in Nuclear Medicine’. She also serves on the scientific committee of EURAMED, the European Alliance for Medical Radiation Protection Research, and is a member of the EFOMP Special Interest Group on ‘Radionuclide Internal Dosimetry’. Throughout her career, she has (co-)authored over 100 scientific publications and has coordinated or contributed to numerous European research initiatives in the field of medical radiation protection and dosimetry.

Theranostic FAPIs with a druglike architecture: from design to preclinical evaluation in oncology models

Pieter Van der  Veken holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and did post-doctoral research in the Netherlands (Prof R. Liskamp, Prof. A. Heck) and in Antwerp (Prof. A. Haemers, Prof. K. Augustyns). He was appointed as a research professor at University of Antwerp in 2010 and as a full professor in 2020. His work deals with the discovery of bioactive molecules that have applications in oncology, metabolic and infectious disease. Important emphasis is put on the discovery of ligands of serine and cysteine proteases. Within the protease domain, his group has longstanding expertise on proline-selective proteases like fibroblast activation protein (FAP). Next to novel small molecule inhibitors of these proteases, inhibitor-derived ligands are produced, including probes for radiotheranostics, activity-based protein profiling and drug delivery. For the radiotheranostics work -the topic of the lecture- he intensively collaborates with UAntwerp colleagues Ingrid De Meester (Medical Biochemistry) and Filipe Elvas (Radiopharmacy/Molecular Imaging).

Impact of medical radionuclides on people and environment

Prof. Dr. Jordi Vives i Batlle holds a BSc and MSc in Physics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (1988) and a PhD in marine radioecology from University College Dublin (1993). He became a full professor (Chair) of Environmental and Radiation Physics in 2009 at Westlakes/University of Central Lancashire, UK, and is recognised as a Chartered Radiation Professional by the UK SRP (affiliated to IRPA) since 2008. With 38 years of experience in radioecology, radiation protection, and impact assessment, he has worked globally in Spain, Ireland, the U.S., UK, and Belgium. Since 2010, he has been a senior researcher at SCK CEN (Belgium), focusing on the fate, transport, and biological uptake of radionuclides in the environment, and conducting radiological impact assessments to wildlife for industry and regulators. He has published over 100 research articles (H-index: 29), led numerous EU projects, serves actively as an international expert on mission for the IAEA projects (EMRAS, MODARIA and MEREIA) and is a member of ICRP. Jordi Vives is currently a member of the Belgian Delegation of UNSCEAR. The focus of these activities is to study the exposures and effects of ionising radiation on wildlife. Jordi Vives’ current research focuses on modelling the impact of radiation/chemical pollutant mixtures on non-human biota, and the impact of medical discharges of radionuclides on people and the environment.

Sex and Age as Modifiers of Radiation-Induced (Osteo)Immunological Responses

Dr. Lisa Deloch is junior research group leader of the Radiation-Osteoimmunology Group at Translational Radiobiology at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen. She is investigating the anti-inflammatory, immunomodulating, and osteoimmunological effects that are mediated by low-dose radiotherapy with X-rays. Special focus within this work is set on bone cells as well as macrophages, T cells and fibroblast-like synoviocytes. Furthermore, her group is also looking into the age-/gender- and inflammatory background mediated differences in response to ionizing radiation in a medical and radiation protection setting. Here, next to X-rays, her group is also examining the effects of radon and mixed beam irradiation on the immune system. She is Deputy Speaker of the jDeGBS (Young German Society for Biological Radiation Research) and actively involved within the German Society for Radiation Oncology (DEGRO, Board member of DEGRO Workgroup Benign Diseases and Women in Radiation Oncology; focus group co-spokesperson “Normal Tissue” of the DEGRO Workgroup Experimental Radiation Oncology).