Abstract： Following large-scale nuclear and radiological emergencies, the accurate estimation of radiation doses can provide a crucial scientific basis for subsequent medical treatment and prognosis of acute radiation injury. In recent years, the expression analysis of radiation-responsive genes has emerged as an effective approach to dose classification and clinical risk prediction for a large population owing to its high speed and high throughput. This paper reviews the advances in research on the application of the expression analysis to biological dose estimation, with a view to promoting the popularization of this technology and to further enhancing China′s capacity for radiation dose estimation.