Radiobiology is a science that examines how ionizing radiation affects life around: individual organisms in particular, the biological sphere as a whole. The features of our universe are such that everything around is subject to the influence of radiation, against the background of which objects can change in a variety of ranges. Radiation radiation affects molecules, viruses, organisms - from unicellular to complex. In addition, radiobiology is a science that studies the effect of radiation on populations, biocenoses. Research conducted within this discipline is quite diverse.
Historical background
Radiobiology is a discipline leading its history from the twentieth century. It was then, at a time when public attention was focused on nuclear physics, when technology, including the use of ionizing radiation, was moving forward with leaps and bounds, and science was born to find out how this radiation can affect living cells. Radiobiology is a discipline that traces its history from the very beginning of the 20th century, and the primary stage in the development of science was devoted to the study of the radiation effect on cells: their growth, division. This made it possible to formulate what the role of the nucleus is, and also to understand how important the threshold of radiosensitivity is for a living organism.
Until the end of the 50s, according to theorists, radiobiology was at the second stage of its development. It was then that the foundations of radiobiology, relevant to this day, were laid. At that time, it was possible to formulate methods of quantitative research, as well as to create a theory of bio-action of ionizing radiation. In addition, scientists have found that radiation affects the genetic structure at the cellular level. Data that is transformed in this way is inherited. Thus, medical radiobiology was formed, within the framework of which it was possible to develop a variety of drugs that help to weaken the negative impact of ionizing radiation.
Radiobiology: from earlier times to the present day
In our time, several institutes of radiobiology have been opened, within which science is progressing at the present stage, which is considered the third. It is characterized by the phenomenon of restoration of cells damaged by ionizing radiation. This fact has received the name “post-radiation recovery” in specific literature. As scientists were able to establish, radiobiology is closely related to genetic engineering, and significant steps have been taken in the development of new mechanisms of influence at the cellular level.
Nowadays, the term "radiobiology" means not only theoretical science, but also a large applied field. This discipline is irreplaceable for agriculture, as it allows you to adjust the parameters of seeds to improve the percentage of germination, to increase the agricultural parameters of crops. The history of radiobiology also contains references to the use of this science to obtain optimal offspring (applicable primarily to flora). It was possible to develop special varieties of plants that are inherent to signs useful to humans. These new parameters are due to mutations provoked by ionizing radiation.
Radiobiology in everyday life
What is radiobiology studying? This science is devoted to the effect of radiation on living cells, on the basis of which it was possible to discover many factors that are acceptable for use to the benefit of mankind. The most effective technologies made it possible to achieve fast, efficient sterilization of agricultural products. Methods of radiobiology allow you to make high-quality canned food, reagents, medicines. Radiobiology also considers hygienic regulation of radiation levels, on the basis of which an adequate level of radiation safety in the world around us is ensured.
What is radiobiology studying? This is a complex of modern sciences, united in one section. This includes a variety of disciplines, each of which has a specific area. For example, there is molecular radiobiology, which considers the processes occurring in living organisms at the molecular level. The space industry is mastering the characteristics of radiation from space and its impact on life. In this case, special attention is paid to the combination of radiation and other factors during a flight in space. Clinical, veterinary radiobiology is distinguished.
Is it that simple?
Radiobiology, like other modern sciences, cannot exist in isolation from the scientific community as a whole. In fact, this is expressed in close interconnection with a number of other scientific disciplines. What is radio biology? The definition, from the point of view of the various sciences associated with the discipline in question, is somewhat different. Say, genetics, whose specialists work closely with professionals in the field of radiobiology, understand this discipline as similar to their native field. A completely different definition of what radiobiology is can be given by cytologists or ecologists, immunologists or hygienists.
This is not to say that one term is more correct than another. Radiobiology exists in close interconnection with a complex of sciences, including those devoted to protection against radiation studies, as well as to combating the effects of radiation. At the same time, it remains only a science used by people for their own benefit, that is, an instrument that is actively progressing, as can be seen from the intensive increase in the volume of knowledge in this area.
Step by step
All stages of the development of radiobiology have led to the fact that at present, mankind has certain ideas about how to deal with cancer, although, of course, medicine was not the primary reason for the attention of the scientific community, so long ago confined to radiobiology. Nevertheless, it is impossible to deny the close connection of this discipline with medicine, since it is precisely on radiobiology that the specialized field of treatment of people is based, draws theoretical justification from here, and also regularly receives new data on the characteristics of ionizing radiation. The information obtained by radiologists around the world is used in a wide range of other natural sciences and is absolutely necessary for the progress of society as a whole.
The main issue that radiobiology deals with is called "ionizing radiation." By this term it is customary to denote such photonic fluxes (as well as those consisting of neutral and charged particles) that can interact with the medium, causing ionization of the material. This process has a strong influence on what is happening in living tissue, provoking an induced radiation effect.
Radiobiology: this is important!
Radiobiologists in their work pay attention to the relationship of ionizing radiation and biological response. This allows you to control radiation reactions using modifying agents. However, the tasks facing radiobiologists are also quite complicated due to the small amount of absorbed energy with unpredictability of the reaction. The radiobiological paradox, for example, is the death of living beings under the influence of a rather weak exposure.
The world around us consists of a huge number of living creatures. The level of sensitivity to radiation inherent in them is quite different. As it was found out in the course of research, for mammals, the lethal dose is radiation at the level of 10 gray. 10 g / μm 3 provokes about two hundred ionizations. About 1011 atoms fall on such a volume of living matter. In fact, under the influence of radiation, a very small percentage of molecules change, and radiobiology studies this paradox in order to identify the causes of the discrepancy. It is assumed that finding the exact answer will allow you to get closer to solving all the problems that radiobiology is currently working on. Scientists suggest that with some progress in this direction, it will be possible to formulate a theory of the biological effect of radiation on living tissues. Currently, despite the general idea of such an effect, humanity is sorely lacking accurate data, as well as answers to the question “Why does this work that way?” After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the problem of radiobiology became especially acute, and the masses realized that the lack of information was indeed dangerous, while the topic was relevant.
Clinical Radiobiology
This section of science is devoted to the pathogenesis of lesions caused by radiation, as well as the long-term effects of such an effect on a living organism. In the framework of clinical radiobiology, the influence is given to both radiation prevention issues and treatment methods, if any. Special attention of scientists is focused on the use of ionizing radiation for medicinal purposes. In addition, the effect of non-ionizing radiation on living tissues is studied , the prospects for its effective use in the treatment of various diseases are evaluated.
Clinical radiobiology deals with (among other things) tumor diseases. Currently, it is this branch of science that is most relevant, is actively developing, and is being applied with certain success in practice. Radiation therapy, available to modern society, does not exclude the likelihood of a relapse of the neoplasm, which forces you to be very careful about the radiation dose - not only surpluses, but also disadvantages will be dangerous. Normal tissues exposed to ionizing radiation, in turn, suffer greatly. Therefore, the main task currently facing the clinical branch of radiobiology is to identify the exact range of the beneficial effects of radiation on the human body. In this case, it is necessary to achieve an effective effect on radiation-sensitive tumor tissues while observing the selectivity of exposure to body tissues to minimize negative consequences.
Radiation Therapy: There are Ways
Currently, there are three options for optimizing the treatment of malignant neoplasms through clinical radiobiology methodologies. It is necessary to work on optimal options for fractionation of the zone, apply fluxes of dense ion radiation, that is, consisting of heavy particles and neurons, and also work on methods for monitoring the sensitivity of radiation of target tissues of a living organism. In the future, it is desirable to learn how to control the level of sensitivity to radiation both in relatively healthy tissues and in relation to patients. It is assumed that the most promising option is the use of specialized agents that transform the inherent sensitivity to radiation in cells.
Modern clinical radiobiology involves the classification of parameters inherent in tissues, including kinetic, cellular. Based on this division, one can determine how different the reactions to radiation from healthy cells and those affected by malignant neoplasms differ. In this case, take into account the peculiarities of the reaction of living tissues depending on the dosage and fractions. Studies have shown that the total amount of radiation that provokes a certain effect in the affected area is rather non-linear, nonobviously dependent on the dose per fraction.
Radiobiology and modification
The directed modification of living tissues by means of radiobiology techniques is based on information obtained from the study of tumor tissues, which, as revealed by numerous studies, are characterized by morphological functions. This means that the supply of blood to tumor tissues is often insufficient; angiogenesis indicates a lag. This leads to the appearance of zones in which cells suffer from hypoxia, and they have a low level of sensitivity to radiation. The process is accompanied by a change in the characteristics of metabolism, since energy is obtained by glycolytic paths. Therefore, tumor tissues are very alienated from normal ones, and special agents, when introduced into the body, can change the reactions of the necessary part of the body without harming the healthy cells around.
The data collected by radiobiologists around the world allowed us to begin work on new approaches to changing the kinetic and cellular parameters of the tumor. At present, certain methods have already been formulated, on the basis of which it is possible to build fairly accurate individual forecasts in the aspects of the applicability and effectiveness of radiation therapy. Scientists are actively working in this direction, including the method of cloning human malignant tumors in animals, in particular bats that do not have a thymus, that is, do not have immunity. Such organisms simply cannot reject implanted tissues, and experimenters have the opportunity to study the growth characteristics of the affected tissues and the specifics of their effect on the body, as well as the effects of radiation on tumor cells.
To summarize
Radiobiology is a completely independent discipline belonging to the group of fundamental sciences. It includes a number of specific areas and specializes in studying the effect of radiation on living tissues. The discipline is complex, closely connected with different fields of knowledge. Radiobiology deals with the relationships of the biological response to radiation and explains the radiobiological paradox.
Radiobiology separately considers complex systems, cells and molecules. The field of science resorts to specific techniques, and each section has its own unique methods of research. Radiobiology also studies the quantitative comparison of the result and the radiation that provoked it, and also analyzes the distribution of the reaction in time and volume.