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A microbeam is a narrow beam of radiation, of micrometer or sub-micrometer dimensions. Together with integrated imaging techniques, microbeams allow precisely defined quantities of damage to be introduced at precisely defined locations. Thus, the microbeam is a tool for investigators to study intra- and inter-cellular mechanisms of damage signal transduction. A schematic of microbeam operation is shown on the right. Essentially, an automated imaging system locates user-specified targets, and these targets are sequentially irradiated, one by one, with a highly-focused radiation beam. Targets can be single cells, sub-cellular locations, or precise locations in 3D tissues. Key features of a microbeam are throughput, precision, and accuracy. While irradiating targeted regions, the system must guarantee that adjacent locations receive no energy deposition. == History == The first microbeam facilities were developed in the mid-90s. These facilities were a response to challenges in studying radiobiological processes using broadbeam exposures. Microbeams were originally designed to address two main issues:〔B.D. Michael, M. Folkard and K.M. Prise. Meeting Report: Microbeam Probes of Cellular Radiation Response, 4th L.H. Gray Workshop, 8–10 July 1993. ''Int. J. Radiat. Biol.'' 65:503-508 (1994). PMID 7908938〕 # The belief that the radiation-sensitivity of the nucleus was not uniform, and # The need to be able to hit an individual cell with an exact number (particularly one) of particles for low dose risk assessment. Additionally, microbeams were seen as ideal vehicles to investigate the mechanisms of radiation response. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「microbeam」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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