Radiobiology

Proton Radiobiology

In addition to the physical advantages (Bragg peak), the use of charged particles in cancer therapy can be associated with distinct biological effects compared to X-rays. While heavy ions (densely ionizing radiation) are known to have an energy- and charge-dependent increased Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE), protons should not be very different from sparsely ionizing photons. A slightly...

Radiobiology for Space Research

Radiobiology Cell Survival

The loss of proliferative potential of a cell is often equated to cell kill, and many studies of the cellular effects of radiation (both ionising and non-ionising) utilise this definition of cell kill to define cell survival. To measure cell survival using this paradigm, a cell culture that has been exposed to a known dose of radiation is cultured and, at a predefined time post irradiation, the...

Fundamental space radiobiology.

The unique feature of the space radiation environment is the dominance of high-energy charged particles (HZE or high LET radiation) emitted by the Sun and galactic sources, or trapped in the Van Allen radiation belts. These charged particles present a significant hazard to space flight crews, and accelerator-based experiments are underway to quantify the health risks due to unavoidable radiatio...

Handbook of Radiobiology