Monte Carlo dosimetry for targeted irradiation of individual cells using a microbeam facility

Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2009 Jan;133(1):2-11. doi: 10.1093/rpd/ncp003. Epub 2009 Jan 26.

Abstract

Microbeam facilities provide a unique opportunity to investigate the effects of ionising radiation on living biological cells with a precise control of the delivered dose. This paper describes dosimetry calculations performed at the single-cell level in the microbeam irradiation facility available at the Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux-Gradignan in France, using the object-oriented Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation toolkit. The cell geometry model is based on high-resolution three-dimensional voxelised phantoms of a human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell line. Such phantoms are built from confocal microscopy imaging and from ion beam chemical elemental analysis. Results are presented for single-cell irradiation with 3 MeV incident alpha particles.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Cell Physiological Phenomena / radiation effects*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Humans
  • Models, Biological*
  • Models, Statistical
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Radiometry / methods*
  • Radiotherapy Dosage
  • Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Radiotherapy, Conformal / methods*