Dual-Color Plasmonic Nanosensor for Radiation Dosimetry

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology and Materials Science
• Radiation Detection and Dosimetry
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate radiation dosimetry is essential for effective cancer therapy and environmental safety.
• Existing dosimeters can be complex, costly, or lack user-friendliness.
• There is a need for simple, inexpensive, and reliable radiation detection methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an innovative, user-friendly, and cost-effective colorimetric nanosensor assay for ionizing radiation detection.
• To establish a radiation sensing platform based on the etching of gold nanorods (AuNRs) and silver nanoprisms (AgNPRs) by hydroxyl radicals.

Main Methods:

• Designed a colorimetric assay utilizing AuNRs and AgNPRs as sensing elements.
• Investigated the etching of AuNRs and AgNPRs induced by hydroxyl radicals generated from ionizing radiation.
• Correlated color changes with specific radiation doses and evaluated the assay's performance in detecting radiation-induced DNA damage response in mammalian cells.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated reproducible color changes in AuNRs and AgNPRs upon exposure to ionizing radiation.
• Established a detection range of 50-2000 rad, suitable for various radiotherapy fractionation schemes.
• Showed correlation between detected radiation doses and DNA damage response in cells, validating the assay's biological relevance.

Conclusions:

• The developed AuNR- and AgNPR-based colorimetric assay provides a simple, user-friendly, and inexpensive method for ionizing radiation detection.
• The paper-based format facilitates wide adoption and translation for diverse applications, including radiotherapy and environmental monitoring.
• This nanosensor platform offers a promising alternative for accurate and accessible radiation dosimetry.