Modern radio-dosimetry is motivated by the need to better characterize the
radiation hazard near radiation sources and to better use radiation beams
for therapy of cancer. In both cases the knowledge of the radiation damage
to the DNA is essential. This subject is dealt with in our group by:
A physical model study of the
damage-profile induced by an ionizing
radiation traversing the living tissue.
Accelerator experiments are conducted at the Pelletron of the Weizmann
Institute and with high-energy proton beams at the medical radio-proton
cancer therapy center at Loma
Linda (USA). These studies attempt to
correlate the information on ionization profiles around the core beam with
DNA survival and mutation experiments.
Novel approaches to
nanodosimetry are developed, which permit to
characterize, for the first time, the results of radiation interaction
with the living cell, on the scale of the DNA. Biologically significant
sample dimensions, of 30nm to sub-nanometer size, are studied by novel
single-electron or single-ion counting techniques in small low-pressure
gas bubbles, simulating the DNA matter.
More information on our nanodosimeter can be found here.
The nanodosimetric detector mounted at the WIS Pelletron accelerator.
Relevant publications
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