Modélisation des dommages à l’ADN induits par les rayonnements ionisants avec l’outil Monte Carlo Geant4 et validation expérimentale – Geant4-DNA

The presented project proposes to develop an experimentally validated simulation platform for the modelling of biological DNA damages induced by ionizing radiation, with the help of modern computing tools. The platform will be based on the general-purpose and open-source 'Geant4' Monte Carlo simulation toolkit and will benefit of the toolkit's full transparency and free availability. This transverse simulation platform will adopt a microscopic approach using Monte Carlo techniques in order to model: 1) Physics processes for the modelling of ionising track structures and 'direct' hits to cellular DNA within cells, 2) Physico-chemistry and chemistry processes for the modelling of oxidative radical species and 'indirect' hits to cellular DNA, 3) Resulting DNA biological damages, in particular double-strand breaks, one of the simplest biological damage observables. We will focus on the modelling of these damages which are the closest to the initial physical interaction, just before complex cellular response and repair mechanisms are involved. These developments will be carefully validated on dedicated state-of-the-art experimental facilities available among the participants (like microbeam cellular irradiation facilities) in order to verify the predictive power of the platform.