Balajee named director of Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Lab at REAC/TS

Research scientist brings more than 20 years of laboratory expertise to the position

Adayabalam Balajee has been named the director of the Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory, which is operated as part of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site, or REAC/TS, at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

In his new position, Balajee will manage the operations and staff at the CBL, which is one of only two labs in the U.S. where chromosome abnormality analysis is used for ionizing radiation dose assessment, a press release said. The process for this analysis starts with a blood sample from someone who a physician thinks may have been exposed to radiation.

Prior to joining the CBL, Balajee held the position of research scientist at the Center for Radiological Research, Department of Radiation Oncology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, where he had been employed since 1999. Balajee also spent five years as a visiting fellow at the Gerontology Research Center at the National Institutes of Health in Baltimore.

Balajee holds a doctorate degree with a specialization in cytogenetics and molecular biology from Banaras Hindu University in India. In addition, he conducted research as a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Radiation Genetics and Chemical Mutagenesis at Sylvius Laboratories in the Netherlands.

Balajee has authored numerous articles in publications and presented his work at international conferences in addition to conducting various courses and workshops.

The CBL is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration and Office of Worker Safety and Health as well as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and it was established as part of the nation’s radiological and nuclear response network for the NNSA. The laboratory is operated in compliance with standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency and is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act.

REAC/TS is an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education facility managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the U.S. Department of Energy with the mission to strengthen the medical response to radiological and nuclear incidents and provide continuing medical education and training. REAC/TS also conducts ongoing research into the biological effects of radiation and provides continuing medical education for healthcare providers.