David Flint, PhD
Department of Radiation Physics, Division of Radiation Oncology
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Physics - Pt Care, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2021 | MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas, US, Biomedical Sciences with Specialization in Medical Physics, PhD |
| 2013 | Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, CA, Physics and Chemistry (minor in Mathematics), B.Sc. Combined Honours |
Postgraduate Training
| 2022-2024 | Medical Physics Resident, Medical Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 2021-2022 | Advanced Fellow in Radiation Physics, Medical Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
Honors & Awards
| 2022 | Aaron Blanchard Award, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2021 | Advanced Fellowship in Radiation Physics, MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2020 | Farrington Daniels Award, American Association of Physicists in Medicine |
| 2019 | Best in Physics (Therapy), American Association of Physicists in Medicine |
| 2017 | SIT Travel Award, Radiation Research Society |
| 2015 - 2018 | GSBS Travel Award, MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences |
| 2014 | Med Into Grad Fellowship, Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
| 2013 | Highest Honours, Carleton University |
| 2011 | I-CUREUS award, Carleton University |
| 2011 | E.W.R. Steacie Scholarship, Carleton University |
| 2010 | E. Alison Flood Award in Physical Chemistry, Carleton Universty |
| 2010 | Lester B. Pearson Scholarship, Carleton University |
| 2009 - 2012 | Deans' Honour List, Carleton University |
| 2009 | Harry S. Southam Scholarship, Carleton University |
| 2008 | President's Scholarship, Carleton University |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Su T, Yu X, Hoseini-Ghahfarokhi M, Flint DB, Bright SJ, Antunes JIDS, Martinus DKJ, Manandhar M, Ben Kacem M, Marinello PC, Pereira EJG, Chiu HS, Titt U, Grosshans DR, Schuemann J, Willers H, Paganetti H, Sumazin P, Sawakuchi GO. Differentiation Stage Predicts Radiosensitivity in Mesenchymal-Like Pancreatic Cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40180058.
- Flint, DB, Bright, SJ, McFadden, CH, Konishi, T, Martinus, DK, Manandhar, M, Ben Kacem, M, Bronk, LF, Sawakuchi, GO. An empirical model of carbon-ion relative biological effectiveness based on the linear correlation between radiosensitivity to photons and carbon ions. Physics in medicine and biology 69(24), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39530708.
- Ben Kacem, M, Bright, SJ, Moran, E, Flint, DB, Martinus, DK, Turner, B, Qureshi, I, Kolachina, RV, Manandhar, M, Marinello, P, Shaitelman, SF, Sawakuchi, GO. PARP inhibition radiosensitizes BRCA1 wildtype and mutated breast cancer to proton therapy. Scientific reports 14(1), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39730675.
- Bright, SJ, Manandhar, M, Flint, DB, Kolachina, RV, Kacem, MB, Martinus, DK, Turner, B, Qureshi, I, McFadden, CH, Marinello, P, Shaitelman, SF, Sawakuchi, GO. ATR inhibition radiosensitizes cells through augmented DNA damage and G2 cell cycle arrest abrogation. JCI Insight 9(19), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39235982.
- Flint D.B., Riff. C.E., Bright, S.J., Yepes, P., Wang, Q., Manandhar, M., Kacem, M.B., Turner, B.X., Martinus, D.K., Shaitelman, S.F., Sawakuchi, G.O.. An empirical model of proton RBE based on the linear correlation between x‐ray and proton radiosensitivity. Med. Phys 49(9):6221-6236, 2022.
- Manandhar, M., Bright, S.J., Flint, D.B., Martinus, D.K., Kolachina, R.V., Kacem, M.B., Titt., U., Martin, T.J., Lee, C.L., Morrison, K., Shaitelman, S.F., Sawakuchi, G.O.. Effect of boron compounds on the biological effectiveness of proton therapy. Med. Phys 49(9):6098-6109, 2022.
- Bright, S.J., Flint D. B., Martinus, D.K., Turner, B.X., Manandhar, M., Kacem, M.B., McFadden, C.H., Yap, T.A., Shaitelman, S.F., Sawakuchi, G.O.. Targeted Inhibition of DNA-PKcs, ATM, ATR, PARP, and Rad51 Modulate Response to X Rays and Protons. Radiat. Res 198(4):336-346, 2022.
- Flint, D.B., Bright, S.J., McFadden, C.H., Konishi, T., Ohsawa, D., Turner, B., Lin, S.H., Grosshans, D.R., Chiu, H.-S., Sumazin, P., Shaitelman, S.F., Sawakuchi, G.O.. Cell lines of the same anatomic site and histologic type show large variability in intrinsic radiosensitivity and relative biological effectiveness to protons and carbon ions. Med. Phys 48:3243-3261, 2021.
- McFadden, C.H., Rahmanian, S., Flint, D.B., Bright, S.J., Yoon, D.S., O'Brien, D.J., Asaithamby, A., Abdollahi, A., Greilich, S., Sawakuchi, G.O.. Isolation of time-dependent DNA damage induced by energetic carbon ions and their fragments using fluorescent nuclear track detectors. Med. Phys 47:272-281, 2020.
- Bright, S.J., Flint, D.B., Chakraborty, S., McFadden, C.H., Yoon, D.S., Bronk, L., Titt, U., Mohan, R., Grosshans, D.R., Sumazin, P., Shaitelman, S.F., Sawakuchi, G.O.. Nonhomologous end joining is more important than proton linear energy transfer in dictating cell death. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys 105(5):1119-1125, 2019.
- Flint D.B., Granville, D.A., Sahoo, N., McEwen, M., Sawakuchi, G.O.. Ionization density dependence of the curve shape and ratio of blue to UV emissions of Al2O3: C optically stimulated luminescence detectors exposed to 6-MV photon and therapeutic proton beams. Radiat. Meas 89:35-43, 2016.
- McFadden, C.H., Hallacy, T.M., Flint, D.B., Granville, D.A., Asaithamby, A., Sahoo, N., Akselrod, M.S., Sawakuchi, G.O.. Time-lapse monitoring of DNA damage colocalized with particle tracks in single living cells. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys 96(1):221-227, 2015.
Other Articles
- Bronk, J.K., Amer, A., Khose, S., Flint, D., Adair, A., Yepes, P., Grosshans, D., Johnson, J., Chung, C. Brain Radiation Necrosis Outside the Target Volume After Proton Radiation Therapy: Analyses of Multiparametric Imaging and Proton Biologic Effectiveness. Adv. Radiat. Oncol 7(6):101044, 2022.
Abstracts
- D.B. Flint, D. A. Barkoski, S. Akhavan, L. Che Fru, M.R. Salehpour, G.O. Sawakuchi. Relative Biological Effectiveness of an x-Ray Lens Converging Beam Radiotherapy System 50(6):e318, 2023.
- D Flint, S Bright, D Martinus, B Turner, M Manandhar, M Ben Kacem, S Shaitelman, G Sawakuchi. An empirical model of proton RBE based on the linear correlation between proton and photon radiosensitivity 9(3):59, 2023.
- D.B. Flint, S. J. Bright, D. Martinus, M. Manandhar, M. Ben Kacem, S. Shaitelman, G. O. Sawakuchi. An Empirical Model to Predict Carbon Ion Relative Biological Effectiveness Based on the Linear Correlation between Radiosensitivity to Ions Versus x-Rays 50(6):e262, 2023.
- D Flint, T Zhang, P Yepes, A Adair, Q Wang, C Ruff, G Engeseth, B Gunn, S Shaitelman, G Sawakuchi. Comparison of Variable Proton RBE Model Predictions in the Treatment Plans of Patients Who Developed Radiation-Induced Necrosis 49(6):e597, 2022.
- D Flint, S Bright, R Kolachina, D Martinus, M Manandhar, M Ben Kacem, P Marinello, T Su, S Shaitelman, G Sawakuchi. Biological Optimization of Proton Radiotherapy Through Glutaminase 1 Inhibition 49(6):e597, 2022.
- D Flint, S Bright, B Turner, M Manandhar, M Ben Kacem, S Shaitelman, G Sawakuchi. DNA Repair Inhibitors Combined with Protons Increase Cell Radiosensitivity in Vitro 48(6):e147, 2021.
- D Flint, S Bright, B Turner, M Manandhar, M Ben Kacem, D Martinus, S Shaitelman, G Sawakuchi. The Relative Variability in Radiosensitivity Between Cell Lines Is the Same for Carbon Ions, Protons and X-Rays 48(6):2021, 2021.
- D Flint, S Bright, C McFadden, T Konishi, D Ohsawa, A Kobayashi, S Shaitelman, G Sawakuchi. A Phenomenological Model to Predict Carbon Ion Radiosensitivity and RBE On the Basis of a Cell Line's Photon Radiosensitivity 47(6):e353, 2020.
- D Flint, S Bright, C McFadden, S Chakraborty, D Yoon, S Shaitelman, S Kodaira, T Konishi, G Sawakuchi. BEST IN PHYSICS (THERAPY): The Non-Homologous End Joining Repair Pathway Determines Cell Radiosensitivity in Helium and Carbon Ion Beams 46(6):e456, 2019.
- D Flint, C McFadden, S Bright, D Yoon, S Kodaira, T Konishi, G Sawakuchi. The importance of DNA double strand break repair defects to cell radiosensitivity in helium and carbon ion beams 45:2769, 2018.
- DB Flint, DJ O'Brien, CH McFadden, TM Hallacy, T Wolfe, S Krishnan, GO Sawakuchi. A Monte Carlo Investigation of Radiation Interactions with Gold Nanoparticles in Water for 6 MV, 85 KeV and 40 KeV Photon Beams 42:3341, 2015.
- D Flint, D Granville, G Sawakuchi. The role of different luminescence centers on the dose response of Al2O3:C OSLDs: a systematic investigation using continuous wave and pulsed OSL readouts 39:3717, 2012.
Selected Presentations & Talks
National Presentations
- 2023. An Empirical Model to Predict Carbon Ion Relative Biological Effectiveness Based on the Linear Correlation between Radiosensitivity to Ions Versus x-Rays. Poster. AAPM Annual Meeting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Relative Biological Effectiveness of an x-Ray Lens Converging Beam Radiotherapy System. Poster. AAPM Annual Meeting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2022. Biological Optimization of Proton Radiotherapy through Glutaminase 1 Inhibition. Conference. PTCOG Annual Meeting. Miami, FL, US.
- 2022. Biological Optimization of Proton Radiotherapy Through Glutaminase 1 Inhibition. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Washington, DC, US.
- 2022. Comparison of Variable Proton RBE Model Predictions in the Treatment Plans of Patients Who Developed Radiation-Induced Necrosis. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Washington, DC, US.
- 2021. The Relative Variability in Radiosensitivity Between Cell Lines Is the Same for Carbon Ions, Protons and X-Rays. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Virtual, US.
- 2021. DNA Repair Inhibitors Combined with Protons Increase Cell Radiosensitivity in Vitro. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Virtual, US.
- 2020. A Phenomenological Model to Predict Carbon Ion Radiosensitivity and RBE On the Basis of a Cell Line's Photon Radiosensitivity. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Virtual, US.
- 2019. The Non-Homologous End Joining Repair Pathway Determines Cell Radiosensitivity in Helium and Carbon Ion Beams. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX, US.
- 2018. The importance of DNA double strand break repair defects to cell radiosensitivity in helium and carbon ion beams. Conference. AAPM Annual Meeting. Nashville, TN, US.
- 2016. Sensitization of gold nanoshell-treated HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells exposed to 125 kVp x-rays. Poster. Radiation Research Society Annual Meeting. Waikoloa Village, HI, US.
- 2015. A Monte Carlo Investigation of Radiation Interactions with Gold Nanoparticles in Water for 6 MV, 85 KeV and 40 KeV Photon Beams. Poster. AAPM Annual Meeting. Anaheim, CA, US.
- 2012. The role of different luminescence centers on the dose response of Al2O3:C OSLDs: a systematic investigation using continuous wave and pulsed OSL readouts. Poster. AAPM Annual Meeting. Charlotte, NC, US.
International Presentations
- 2024. RBE Modeling in Ion Therapy. Invited. Global Medical Physics Education Series, US.
- 2017. The role of DNA double strand break repair deficiency on the sensitivity of cells to therapeutic proton beams. Poster. Radiation Research Society Annual Meeting. Cancun, MX.
- 2017. The role of DNA double strand break repair pathways in gold nanoparticle radiosensitizationin 6 MV x-ray beams. Poster. Radiation Research Society Annual Meeting. Cancun, MX.
Formal Peers
- 2022. Accounting for the variability in intrinsic radiosensitivity to protons. Houston, Texas, US.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified June 18, 2025