X-ray-based techniques are a powerful tool in structural biology but the radiation-induced chemistry that results can be detrimental and may mask an accurate structural understanding. Therapeutic radiation is used for cancer treatment and understanding the biological processes that occur. Dr. Snell recently published a paper entitled  “SAXS-based approach to rationally evaluate radical scavengers – toward eliminating radiation damage in solution and crystallographic studies looking at radiation damage and its prevention at physiological temperatures” to study this. In this case, chemical additives that scavenge the species generated by radiation can mitigate damage but are not always successful and the mechanisms are often unclear. Using a protein designed to undergo a large-scale structural change from the breakage of a di­sulfide bond, radiation damage can be monitored with small-angle X-ray scattering. Using this, Dr. Snell’s laboratory has quantitatively evaluated how three scavengers commonly used in crystallographic experiments – sodium nitrate, cysteine, and ascorbic acid – perform in solution at 10°C. Sodium nitrate was the most effective scavenger and completely inhibited fragmentation of the di­sulfide bond at a lower concentration (500 µM) compared with cysteine (∼5 mM) while ascorbic acid performed best at 5 mM but could only reduce fragmentation by ∼75% after a total accumulated dose of 792 Gy. The relative effectiveness of each scavenger matches their reported affinities for solvated electrons. Saturating concentrations of each scavenger shifted fragmentation from first order to a zeroth-order process, perhaps indicating the direct contribution of photoabsorption. The SAXS-based method can detect damage at X-ray doses far lower than those accessible crystallographically, thereby providing a detailed picture of scavenger processes. The solution results are also in close agreement with what is known about scavenger performance and mechanism in a crystallographic setting and suggest that a link can be made between the damage phenomenon in the two scenarios. Therefore, our engineered approach might provide a platform for a more systematic and comprehensive screening of radioprotectants that can directly inform mitigation strategies for both solution and crystallographic experiments, while also clarifying fundamental radiation damage mechanisms.