Vinita Chauhan

Research Scientist

Dr Chauhan's work relates to improving the understanding of radiological health risks from exposures found in occupational and public environments. Her work explores how mechanistic data can provide the linkages to long-term health effects using the adverse outcome pathway framework. Through collaborations she is developing methodologies for biomarker identification relevant to low dose exposures. Understanding these responses and their link to long-term adverse outcomes will provide a more meaningful basis for reliable health risk estimation, essential for a robust system of radiation protection.

Current research and/or projects

  • Integrating the adverse outcome pathway framework into radiation risk assessment through outreach activities and the development of case examples

  • Identifying biomarkers of radon gas exposure in blood specimens of individuals living in high and low radon risk zones

  • Generating new knowledge in the area of mechanistic dose-response data using technologies (genomics, raman spectroscopy) and modeling approaches (benchmark dose modeling) that will allow for the detection of subtle changes in blood and blood components following radiation exposure

Professional activities / interests

Member of the Radiation Research Society

Member of Health Canada’s Science and Research Integration Network Steering Committee

Education and awards

Ph.D  Biochemistry, University of Ottawa, 2000

International experience and/or work

Canadian Delegate on the High Level Group on Low Dose Research

Canadian Delegate on the Extended Advisory Group on Molecular Screening and Toxicogenomics of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Key publications

Chauhan V, Said Z, Daka J, et al. Is there a role for the adverse outcome pathway framework to support radiation protection?. Int J Radiat Biol. 2019;95(2):225-232. doi:10.1080/09553002.2019.1532617.

Chauhan V, Rowan-Carroll A, Gagné R, Kuo B, Williams A, Yauk CL. The use of in vitro transcriptional data to identify thresholds of effects in a human lens epithelial cell-line exposed to ionizing radiation. Int J Radiat Biol. 2019;95(2):156-169.

Chauhan V, Sherman S, Said Z, Yauk CL, Stainforth R. A case example of a radiation-relevant adverse outcome pathway to lung cancer [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jan 9]. Int J Radiat Biol. 2020;1-17. doi:10.1080/09553002.2019.1704913.

Chauhan V, Adam N, Kuo B, et al. Meta-analysis of transcriptomic datasets using benchmark dose modeling shows value in supporting radiation risk assessment [published online ahead of print, 2020 Aug 18]. Int J Radiat Biol. 2020;1-19. doi:10.1080/09553002.2020.1798543.

Qutob SS, Chauhan V, Kuo B, et al. The application of transcriptional benchmark dose modeling for deriving thresholds of effects associated with solar-simulated ultraviolet radiation exposure. Environ Mol Mutagen. 2018;59(6):502-515. doi:10.1002/em.22196.

Bahia S, Blais E, Murugkar S, Chauhan V, Kumarathasan P. Oxidative and nitrative stress-related changes in human lens epithelial cells following exposure to X-rays. Int J Radiat Biol. 2018;94(4):366-373. doi:10.1080/09553002.2018.1439194.

Hansson B, Allen CH, Qutob S, et al. Development of a flow cell based Raman spectroscopy technique to overcome photodegradation in human blood. Biomed Opt Express. 2019;10(5):2275-2288. Published 2019 Apr 4. doi:10.1364/BOE.10.002275.

Allen CH, Kumar A, Qutob S, Nyiri B, Chauhan V, Murugkar S. Raman micro-spectroscopy analysis of human lens epithelial cells exposed to a low-dose-range of ionizing radiation. Phys Med Biol. 2018;63(2):025002. Published 2018 Jan 9. doi:10.1088/1361-6560/aaa176

Research facility

Language

English