Potential new treatments for radiation exposure: The investigators exploited an optimized, cell-based,high throughput screening assay to interrogate a small molecule library comprising 3437 known pharmacologically active compounds for mitigation against IR-induced apoptosis. They found 33 compounds found to significantly reduce apoptosis 1 h after exposure to 4 Gy ionizing radiation using an immortalized pluripotent human cell line. The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) inhibitor, rapamycin, and other mTOR inhibitors, namely everolimus, AZD8055, and torin 1, also suppressed apoptosis. Collectively, this study suggests a central role for the mTOR signaling in the cytotoxic response to ionizing radiation and offers a useful platform to probe for additional agents.
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