The Lin28/let-7 axis plays an important role in tumor initiation and developmental processes. Lin28B is upregulated in a variety of cancers, and its overexpression enhances cancer cell proliferation and radioresistance through the suppression of let-7 micro RNA expression. In this study, we investigated the role of the Lin28/let7 axis as a target for radiosensitization of melanoma cancer cells....

Ion beam therapy using state-of-the-art pencil-beam scanning offers unprecedented tumour-dose conformality with superior sparing of healthy tissue and critical organs compared to conventional radiation modalities for external treatment of deep-seated tumours. For inverse plan optimization, the commonly employed analytical treatment-planning systems (TPSs) have to meet reasonable compromises in ...

Proof-of-concept experimental results stemming from beam simulations for a microfocus electron gun are presented. The simulations demonstrate the potential to produce 4 mA of current through a 40m-diameter spot, at an energy of 30 keV, emitted from a 1-mm-diameter cathode with low energy spread and high brightness. The experimental realization, scaled down for practicality, but consistent with ...

MedAustron is the Austrian center for hadron therapy and non-clinical research. The accelerator design is based on the PIMMS study [1] and features proton beams of up to 800 MeV and carbon ion beams of up to 400 MeV/u. The accelerator is currently being installed and the beam commissioning has started early 2013. The injector comprising three ECR sources, an RFQ and an IH-mode structure has alr...

Laser processing of glass components is of significant commercial interest for the optoelectronics and telecommunications industries. In this paper, we present laser processing techniques using microsecond, nanosecond, and femtosecond lasers for machining of glass. Surface structures, mainly groove geometries, are generated with a diode-pumped solid-state nanosecond pulsed UV laser operating at...

We report a strategy for fabrication of sub-micron, multifunctional carbon electrodes and application of these electrodes as probes for scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM). The fabrication process utilized chemical vapor deposition of parylene, followed by thermal pyrolysis to form conductive carbon and then further deposition of parylene to...

The irradiation-induced cross-linking of aromatic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is a universal method for the fabrication of ultrathin carbon nanomembranes (CNMs). Here we demonstrate the cross-linking of aromatic SAMs due to exposure to helium ions. The distinction of cross-linked from non-cross-linked regions in the SAM was facilitated by transferring the irradiated SAM to a new substrate,...

Performance data collected on two sets of 8-cm diameter carbon-carbon (C-C) ion optics assemblies are presented in this paper. Each C-C grid was designed and fabricated to grid feature geometries that were identical to the NSTAR ion engine and their performance was characterized by mounting them to an 8-cm diameter Structurally Integrated Thruster (SIT-8). Electron backstreaming and impingement...

X-ray radiotherapy activates tumor antigen-specific T-cell responses, and increases in the serum levels of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) induced by X-ray irradiation play a pivotal role in activating anti-tumor immunity. Here, we examined whether carbon-ion beams, as well as X-rays, can induce HMGB1 release from human cancer cell lines. The study examined five human cancer cell lines: TE2, ...

Our institution established a new treatment facility for carbon ion beam scanning therapy in 2010. The major advantages of scanning beam treatment compared to the passive beam treatment are the following: high dose conformation with less excessive dose to the normal tissues, no bolus compensator and patient collimator/multi-leaf collimator, better dose efficiency by reducing the number of scatt...