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For Immediate Release
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Mary Cimo
Lighting Research Center
518.687.7174
cimom@rpi.edu |
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Troy, N.Y. - 4/19/2006
New Research May Decode Data from Rodent Cancer Studies for Use in Human Comparisons
Scientists quantify light as a circadian stimulus in breast cancer research
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A new paper written by scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center (LRC) may help cancer researchers decode results in laboratory studies of light and cancer risk that use mice and rats. “Of mice and women: Light as a circadian stimulus in breast cancer research” will allow researchers to quantitatively compare light levels used in rodent studies with lighting conditions experienced by humans.
Lead author John Bullough, Ph.D., says this is important, because the circadian systems of nocturnal rodents are 1000-10,000 times more sensitive to light than the circadian system of humans.
“Normal room or laboratory lighting,” says Dr. Bullough, “might be a ‘dim circadian stimulus’ to a human, but would be a ‘bright circadian stimulus’ to a mouse or rat.”
The circadian system regulates biological rhythms, including the sleep/wake cycle, hormone production, and body temperature.
Drs. Mark Rea and Mariana Figueiro are co-authors of the paper.
In simple terms, the paper can serve as a "decoder ring" to help in translating lighting conditions experienced by humans in real life to those used in rodent studies. This is especially important as recent studies are beginning to show potential links between lighting (as a circadian stimulus) and cancer risk or tumor growth.
Bullough further explained that humans and nocturnal rodents also have different spectral sensitivity to light. For example, the visual and circadian systems of rats and mice are sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, whereas those of humans are not. Also the human circadian system can decode color information, while that of the mouse cannot.
The paper appears in the May 2006 issue of the journal Cancer Causes and Control (http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10552-005-0574-1).
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About the Lighting Research Center
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) is part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, N.Y., and is the leading university-based research center devoted to lighting. The LRC offers the world's premier graduate education in lighting, including one- and two-year master's programs and a Ph.D. program. Since 1988 the LRC has built an international reputation as a reliable source for objective information about lighting technologies, applications, and products. The LRC also provides training programs for government agencies, utilities, contractors, lighting designers, and other lighting professionals. Visit www.lrc.rpi.edu.
About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is the nation's oldest technological university. The university offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences, information technology, architecture, management, and the humanities and social sciences. Institute programs serve undergraduates, graduate students, and working professionals around the world. Rensselaer faculty are known for pre-eminence in research conducted in a wide range of fields, with particular emphasis in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, and the media arts and technology. The Institute is well known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace so that new discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect the environment, and strengthen economic development.
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Lighting Research Center, 21 Union Street, Troy, NY 12180 USA 
