Press Releases

Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY-26) announced the Hauptman-Woodward Research Institute has been awarded $1.5 million by the U.S. Department of Energy for a three-year study aimed at understanding the mechanism and health consequences of low-dose radiation at a molecular level. This funding will leverage new advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support biomedical discovery. 

“This investment will support work that allows for better insight and ultimately better protections against the health impacts of low-dose radiation exposure,” said Congressman Kennedy.  “I commend Hauptman-Woodward for their national leadership on this important issue.” 

Edward Snell, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, and Dominic Sellitto, Clinical Assistant Professor of Management Science and Systems in the UB School of Management, will serve as co-principal investigators on the research.

 “Dr. Snell and his team have developed a method that targets different samples to analyze the biological impact of low doses of radiation, but these kinds of experiments are time-consuming and expensive, so that’s where AI comes in,” said Sellitto. “As his team is refining those experiments, we’re also building a model that will go through all the data to create a lightweight, efficient AI you can just ask a question to, and it will accurately predict what the experiment would have produced. The experimental component allows us to test and validate the computational predictions.”

 “Leveraging the AI expertise of UB allows us to develop a new tool for one area of health research that could have a dramatic impact across many health areas in the future,” said Snell. 

Additional Information: 

People can be exposed to low-dose radiation through natural, medical, and occupational sources. Common exposures include X-rays or CT scans, nuclear energy or weapons industrial settings, and household radon. 

Radiation exposure is most commonly studied in relation to cancer however new evidence shows potential links to additional health concerns including neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease, and immune dysfunction.  

The National Academy of Sciences, established by Congress in 1863 as an independent, nongovernmental institution tasked with advising the nation on science and technology, issued a report in 2022 laying out opportunities to leverage scientific advances to revitalize low-dose radiation research.  

HWI is 1 of only 14 projects on low-dose radiation in the nation awarded a total of $19.5 million. The goal of the nation’s Low Dose Radiation Research Program is to better understand the impact of low-dose radiation exposure, and subsequently implement protective measures.

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