Dose Verification for Small Animal Irradiators

Graduate Investigator: Natalie Viscariello

Summary of Research: Radiobiology studies make use of several types of irradiators for cell and small animal preclinical studies. However, dosimetry in these setups is often not reported or well understood. Current techniques may involve utilizing TG-61 to determine dose to water for x-ray irradiators. This relies on an accurate measurement of air kerma and half value layer, and assumes full backscatter conditions when calculating dose. This project addresses the validity of this protocol in common setups and aims to improve approaches for accurate dose determination in small animal studies.