PRESENTATIONS (2)

Special presentation:

“A (personal) history of ionizing radiation metrology”

By Dr Malcolm McEwen
Metrology Research Centre, National Research Council

World Metrology Day (yes, there is one!) takes place in May each year, celebrating the signing of the Metre Convention in 1876. The theme for 2021 was “Measurement for Health” and this presentation was originally given as part of those celebrations earlier this year. Applications of ionizing radiation have contributed significantly to improving human health over more than a century, including diagnostic imaging, radiation therapy and the sterilization of medical goods and other products. These fields are also represented within the OMPI community. This presentation will aim to link the past, present and future of measurement in ionizing radiation, with a particular focus on my main area of research – and all in 20 minutes!

Member presentation:

“Advances in biodosimetry methods development and automation”

By Dr Lindsay Beaton
Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau, Health Canada
 

Biodosimetry uses measured biological endpoints to estimate the dose to which a person or population may have been exposed. A number of assays are available and well-characterized to measure cellular or subcellular damage (i.e. dicentric chromosome assay (DCA), cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay (CBMN), translocation assay (FISH) and the phosphorylated gamma-H2AX assay (γ-H2AX)), and many of these have traditionally been done by manual microscopy. Recent advances in technology and software have since facilitated increased automation of these assays. This seminar will present an overview of biodosimetry, with recent advances in the methods development and automation.