In my previous article I discussed some of my teaching experiences during my 2018 visit to Fukushima University, and I would like to discuss a bit about the research I was able to accomplish with the assistance of my outstanding colleagues.
Drs. Camphausen and Sproull at the US National Institutes of Health have done some pioneering research on proteomic biomarkers associated with radiation exposure to humans. My PhD student, Josh Hayes, had some discussions with Dr. Sproull on collaborating and using these proteomic biomarkers on Japanese Field Mice exposed to radiation from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. We had been searching for a method of determining radiation dose using biomarkers, and the methods utilized by Drs. Camphausen and Sproull appeared promising.
Fortunately, Dr. Hiroko Ishiniwa is a faculty member at the Fukushima University Institute for Environmental Radioactivity, and was willing to help us obtain permission to capture and obtain blood from mice located in high and low dose areas. Dr. Kenji Nanba, my host, was able to coordinate all the requirements with Dr. Ishiniwa, as well as procure the resources we needed to collect the mice. My PhD student volunteered to accompany me for a few weeks and obtain the samples needed for the study.
Upon my arrival at Fukushima University Institute for Environmental Radioactivity, I was very pleased to find that Dr. Ishiniwa was in the office next to mine! Her help was instrumental in obtaining all the information and permits needed to capture mice in the “Difficult to Return Zone”.
Dr. Nanba arranged for me to meet with some farmers where we could trap mice in low dose radiation areas. He suggested that we meet with a farmer at his home. Meeting someone at their home in Japan is very unusual and a great privilege. I was very nervous as Dr. Nanba and our team went to the farmer’s home. The home was traditional, with paper walls and a low table in the front room. I sat saiza style, where your knees and top of your feet touch the ground. As the team translated, they asked me to give a short presentation on our project. I spoke about how we were trying to determine radiation doses to animals, and that the project was trying to figure out if proteomic biomarkers were useful for determining radiation dose. If nothing else, we may be able to determine if these potentially high radiation dose animals suffered any proteomic expression changes due to radiation. The farmer asked some excellent questions. As we left, one of our team tore the paper divider in the room! I was horrified, but I must admit I was mostly glad I did not do it! I was told this was not a problem, and the paper is routinely replaced.
After our discussion with the farmer, we went to an excellent restaurant for lunch. I attempted to tell my colleagues that the apple there was delicious, trying to show off my meager Japanese skills. However it seems I managed to say that the apple is a cow, rather than the apple is delicious!
My PhD student at the time, Josh Hayes, selected trapping locations and set the mouse traps with the invaluable assistance of Dr. Ishiniwa. Sherman traps were used so that the mice could be collected live. Josh drove each day to check the traps and collect blood samples, but we had little success in trapping, averaging one or two mice per day, at best. Since I had not had a chance to participate in setting the traps, I decided to ride along with Josh on one occasion. It was a rather dreary day, raining off and on, but the area was beautiful. Northern Japan, and Fukushima, contains lush, forested valleys, with scenic mountains and ocean views.
We proceeded to our first set of traps in the “Difficult to Return Zone” and he said that he often saw monkeys and wild boar in the area. I opened my window as we drove and scanned the area. While I was looking carefully for an opportunity to take a photo, Josh quietly said, “Look over to your left”. Naturally I responded with a loud “Where?” and as I looked at the persimmon tree he indicated, I saw a troop of now frightened monkeys scatter, and a group of 6 wild boar start running across the fields. It was an amazing sight, but I was unable to take a photo.
The traps were in several different locations, and that day we had no luck at any of them. The light rain continued to fall and the ground was muddy and slippery, adding to the depressed mood and no success. Finally, we found a trap with a mouse! We had decided that we would tag a few mice with a radiation detection device and recapture them, if possible, to compare the dose with our proteomic results.
Josh extracted the mouse from the trap, and asked me if I would like to hold the mouse or put the tag on the mouse. He cautioned that putting it on too tight could kill the mouse, and too loose it would come off. Since he had experience in putting on the tags, I opted to hold the mouse. As I was holding the mouse to be tagged, he said that I should be careful as they sometimes did bite, but not often. The mouse struggled, and then leapt from my hands and disappeared into the undergrowth of the forest. I looked at Josh, he looked at me, and he slowly said “Maybe you should just wait in the van.” Sometimes it is best to let graduate students take care of the experiments.
It took several years to complete the analysis, and you can read about our results in the Health Physics Journal “Proteomic Biomarker Analysis of Serum from Japanese Field Mice (Apodemus Speciosus) Collected within the Fukushima Difficult-to-return Zone”
Last month (November) I sent copies of the finished paper, as well as a Colorado State University sweatshirt, to all three farmers who helped with the study.
Gathering this data, and the collaboration across multiple continents and institutions was amazing and rewarding.
back to Stories from Japan