Research activities

The BiMeR group is dedicated to the study of biological effects of ionizing radiation, as well as to its medical applications, with a specific focus on charged particle therapy. The BiMeR group has several national and international collaborations; in the framework of these collaborations, the group is currently active on several research projects.
Additional details on current research topics are provided below.

Multiscale Modeling in Radiation Biophysics

We exploit different modeling approaches to study the mechanisms of radiation effects. This ranges from radiation chemistry to the description of DNA damage induction and repair. Recently, we started investigating how different radiation qualities can induce mutations, which eventually develop into an induced cancer. 

Microdosimetry

Microdosimetry aims at describing the biological effects of ionizing radiation, starting from the analysis of the stochastic aspects of radiation-matter interaction at the cellular scale. From this point of view it is complementary to conventional dosimetry. Our group is active in detector development and microdosimetry modeling.

FLASH radiotherapy

This is the new frontier in the radiotherapy field. FLASH RT arises from the observation of a peculiar sparing effect of normal tissues when irradiation is performed at dose rate >40 Gy/s, while preserving tumor cell inactivation. While the understanding of the mechanisms behind the FLASH effect is incomplete, efforts are on going worldwide to investigate both such mechanisms and the possibility of a clinical translation.

Medical Physics

Our research in the field of medical physics is strongly related to collaborations ongoing with the local healthcare agency (APSS), specifically with the Health Physics Department and Proton Therapy units. Our efforts are mainly devoted towards treatment planning studies, and to the investigation of normal tissue toxicities through the application and development of NTCP models.

Group members