Bright and Fast Sensors for Radioluminescence Microscopy of Single Living Cells

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Radioluminescence microscopy is a newly developed method for imaging radionuclide uptake in live single cells. Current methods of radiotracer imaging are limited to measuring the average radiotracer uptake in large cellpopulations and, as a result, lack the ability to quantify cell-to-cell variations. With the new radio- luminescence microscopy technique, however, it is possible to visualize radiotracer uptake within individual cells in a fluorescence microscope environment. The goal of this project is to develop a revolutionary innovation in a key component used in this technique. This key part in the radioluminescence microscopy imaging system is the scintillator that converts ionizing beta radiation into optical photons that are imaged with a CCD camera. In this work, an improved scintillator will be developed, specifically for use in a radioluminescence microscopy system that will offer unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution. Such a technological advan