E5: Application to bilogy and medicine

The beam line for biological irradiation eonsists of a device for making a homogeneous irradiation field and a beam monitoring system: a wobbler magnet coupled with a gold-foil scatterer, a PPAC, and an ionization chamber. An irradiation apparatus is inst end of this beam line. The beam homogeneity in the irradiation field of 50 x 50 mm2 is measured to be better than 10% using a two dimensional PPAC. The Figure shows a schematic diagram of the beam line. A side view of the biological irradia apparatus is shown in the figure, together with its photograph. Currently, the following subjects are under way.

(1) Neoplastic cell transfbrmation by heavy ions. The goal of this study is to elucidate the mechanisms of biological effects of heavy ions and to offer the date baset for the radiation risk estimation.

(2) Effbct of heavy ions on fish embryonic development. To assess the radiation damage during space travel, a small teleost fish, Medaka, is an excellent experimental species because of its relatively short life eycle(matu-ration within 3-6 months), high reproductive capacity and ease of breeding.

Return to the home page of RIKEN Accelerator Research Facility