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 Atmospheric micro-PIXE analyzer is the only apparatus in the world, that measures and visualizes the spatial distribution and dynamics of various ion elements in a single cell at a spatial resolution of 1 μm, by irradiating a proton beam into the cell from outside and detecting the secondary X ray generated. For example, it is possible to visualize the intracellular distributions of K, S, and P in cancer cell and the intranuclear distribution of Pt of cisplatin, an anticancer agent. We believe it is an innovative research method to study the dynamics of trace elements in cell in researches in basic biology and on the symptoms of various diseases by using the cutting-edge technology. By using this research method, we would like to conduct biological study on cancer, analysis of the intracellular dynamics of the trace elements involved in the various responses induced by radiation, anticancer agent, and interferon, study on organ sensitivity to cadmium, and others and thus pave the way to biological researches in the intracellular ultrafine space.
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In analysis of the biological effects caused by heavy-ion irradiation, conventional methods of random heavy-ion irradiation carried the problem that it was impossible to identify the effects of irradiation accurately due to coexistence of both irradiated and unirradiated cells. There is only one system available in the world that can overcome the problem, which is the heavy ion microbeam irradiation system in Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (Takasaki, JAERI). It is the system unparalleled in the world that allows irradiation of a single heavy ion onto a particular site in cell at an accuracy of the μm order. For example, it is possible to compare the irradiation effects when only cell nucleus is irradiated with those when only cytoplasm is irradiated. In addition, because it is possible to destroy part of a cell by mass irradiation, it is possible to analyze distinctive functions of various cell components by observing the effects on the cell caused by the damages of nucleus and other cellular components separately.
The high-accuracy microbeam therapy is a technique to focus a beam of heavy ion, such as carbon ion to a width of 100 μm to 1mmφ, irradiate a minute focus in the body with the focused beam at a positional accuracy of less than 1 mm, and thus treat the disease. The heavy-ion microsurgery technique is an innovative cutting-edge technique found nowhere in the world, and we have already applied for the patent covering the principal elements of the method. The present research aims at practical application of the technique to the medical practice and seeks to develop a treatment method for small lesions in the body without surgery. The heavy-ion microsurgery technique will be applied to various diseases such as brain pituitary and spinal cord or vertebral tumors, vascular lesions such as AVM, and age-related macular degeneration. This study is directly connected to sophistication of heavy particle radiotherapy, a project promoted enthusiastically in Gunma University from 2001, and will play an important role in the future plan of the entire University for installing a heavy-particle- beam cancer therapy facility.