BIOSENSORS FOR PRE-EMERGENCY AND
POST-EMERGENCY MONITORING OF
RADIOACTIVITY DISPERSAL DEVICES
BioRDD
Dr. Alba Zanini, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica
Nucleare, Torino, Italy, NPD
Prof. Jurgis Barkauskas, Vilnius University,
Lithuania, PPD
Dr. Oleg Bondarenko, Chernobyl Radioecological
Centre, Ukraine, PCoD
Dr. Karel Kudela, Institute of Experimental Physics,
Kosice, Slovak Republic, PCoD
Prof. Jordan Stamenov, Institute for Nuclear
Research and Nuclear Energy, Sophia, Bulgaria,
PCoD
Dr. Giovanni Basile, BIOSENSOR s.r.l.,
Palombara Sabina – Rome, Italy, NCoD
BIORDD
BACKGROUND AND
JUSTIFICATION
Radioactivity Dispersal Devices
(RDD)
Urge for the early detection
Facts about RDD
Blasting materials
Radioactive material
Consequences of RDD explosion
EXPERTISE AND
CONTRIBUTIONS OF PARTNERS
INFN Torino Section (Dr. Alba Zanini): Expertise in complex space radiation and
dosimetry. Previous experience with biosensors for application in space research.
CONTRIBUTION: RADIATION PHYSICS AND MOLECULLAR BIOLOGY (CNR).
Vilnius University (Prof. Jurgis Barkauskas): Expertise in synthesis, investigation
and application of nano-scale carbon structures. Experience with electrochemical
enzyme-based biosensors. CONTRIBUTION: BIO-NANO-TECHNOLOGY.
SSSIE (Dr. Oleg Bondarenko): Expertise in radioecological and radiological
monitoring of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. CONTRIBUTION: ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE AND PROTECTION.
IEP (Dr. Karel Kudela) Expertise in radiobiological protection and mixed radiation
physics. CONTRIBUTION: MIXED RADIATION FIELD and RADIATION SAFETY.
INRNE (Prof. Jordan Stamenov) Expertise in radiation dosimetry, nuclear
electronics and design of nucleari nstruments,radioecology
CONTRIBUTION: DOSIMETRY, BIOLOGICAL RADIATION SAFETY, GENOMICS,
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
BIOSENSOR (Dr. Giovanni Basile) Expertise in manufacturing of biosensors and
robots. CONTRIBUTION: INDUSTRIAL PARTNER.
PROBLEMS TO BE ADDRESSED BY
THE PROJECT
The economic and social importance
Cost of RDD false alarms :
closing of a big airport
closing of a freight terminal
of the port of New York
panic reaction
million of dollars
500.000 $/hour
unvaluable
Cost of RDD terrorist attack :
Decontamination
Medical assistance
Psycological assistance
Cost for mitigating the consequence of Chernobyl accident : 10 G$
(Large scale RDD)
EXISTING TECHNIQUES
Radiation detectors based on
physical effects
are sensitive to:
specific radiation
specific energy range
specific intensity
Radiation detectors based on
biosensor and mutant technique
are sensitive to:
every kind of radiation
wide energy range
different intensity
EXISTING TECHNIQUES
Radiation
Product
Berthold Gamma-Analyzer LB 125
Gamma
Mobile microspec equipped with gamma
probes (BTI)
Beta
Mobile microspec equipped with beta probe
(BTI)
Berthold LB 123P Plutonium Monitor
Mechanism of
detection
Solid scintillation detection:
NaI with PMT
NaI solid scintillation
NaI with Be window
Phoswich scintillator (100 keV
to 3 MeV)
Gas proportional counters
Gas proportional counters
Neutrons
Berthold LB 6414 Neutron Survey Meter
Mobile microspec equipped with neutron
probe (BTI)
Thermo PM 1401 GN
Mixed (gamma, neutron)
Ortec detective
Liquid scintillator and He3
counter
CsI scintillator (gamma)
He3 proportional counter
(neutron)
High Purity Germanium (HPGe)
Detector (gamma) and He3
proportional counter (neutron)
GOAL OF BioRDD PROJECT
BIORDD
The main objective :
the
realization of
a new biological device based on
photosynthetic organisms to be used as biosensor for the early
detection of different kind of ionizing radiations (beta, gamma
rays, neutrons, fission fragments etc.), as required in case of
RDD terrorist attack.
The final goal :
the realization of a commercial prototype of a small size, suitable
in public places, airports, underground, to equip police and
rescue vehicles.
The High Technology issue:
the immobilation of proteins on carbon nanostructures
CURRENT STATUS OF THE
TECHNOLOGY
Radiation Biosensor:
biomediator (enzymathic photosystem II, PSII);
electronic or optical transducer to convert the
biochemical modification in electronic signal
electronic system to process the electric signal.
Radiation Effect:
damages to electron transport chain during the
first part of photosynthesis
reduction of photosynthetic efficiency
Sample Conditions:
No DNA (EXTRACTED PHOTOSYSTEM II )
mechanisms
NO repair
Immobilization (FROZEN or IMMOBILIZED ON NANOCARBON
STRUCTURE)
Only direct effects
PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTS
Exposure to  Dose rate:7.98 mGy/min
San Giovanni Hospital, Torino 01-04-04
0.5
0.4
HIGH LET radiation
neutrons (Emean =3 MeV),
0.3
log Ai/Ac
Sample is frozen and exposed to:
0.2
Am-Be Source, JRC, Ispra
0.1
y = a+bx
a = 0.45756 ± 0.03632
b = -0.00052 ± 0.00008
0.0
-0.1
-0.2
2
X 0 = 0.16319
 = 0.97905
-0.3
-0.4
0
100
200
Exposure to neutrons. Dose rate: 0,16 mGy/h
Ispra, JRC, April 2002
5.35
300
400
500
600
700
800
5.30
Dose(mGy)
log Ai
5.25
5.20
y= a+bx
a = 5.31929 ± 0.01691
b = -0.05027 ± 0.01306
5.15
LOW LET radiation
 radiation
5.10
E1 = 1173.2 keV, E2 = 1332.5 keV
5.00
60Co
Source, San Giovanni Hospital, Turin
 0= 0.1305
 = 0.85667
2
5.05
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
Dose (mGy)
1.8
2.0
2.2
CARBON NANOTUBES
Synthesis
Varieties
Properties
BIO-APPLICATION OF CARBON
NANOTUBES
PROJECT STRUCTURE AND
WORKPACKAGES
WP1:
Management
Alba Zanini P1
Transversal WP
WP4:
Characterization of the
biosensor response to
radiation
J. Stamenov P5
(P1,P3,P4)
2° final output:
IMMOBILIZATION OF PSII
ON NANOTUBE SURFACE
WP2:
Biology and
Nano-technology
J. Barkauskas P2
(P2,P5)
WP3:
Development of biosensor technology
R. Kaukanakov P5
(P2,P6)
WP6:
Production of a prototype
G. Basile P6
(P2,P5)
1° final output:
PROTOTYPE WITH
FROZEN SAMPLE
WP5:
Characterization of the
biosensor in mixed field
O. Bondarenko P3
(P1,P4,P5)
Transversal WP
WP7:
Training, dissemination
and exploitation:
K. Kudela P4
PROJECT SCHEDULE
1st YEAR
1
2
3
4
5
6
2nd YEAR
7 9 11
8 10 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 9 11
8 10 12
3rd YEAR
1
2
WP-1 MANAGEMENT
WP-2 BIOLOGY AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
WP-3 BIOSENSOR TECHNOLOGY
WP-4 RESPONSE TO RADIATION
WP-5 INTERCOMPARISON
WP-6 PRODUCTION OF PROTOTYPE
WP-7 TRAINING AND DISSEMINATION
3
4
5
6
7 9 11
8 10 12
7 9 11
8 10 12
2nd YEAR
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 9 11
8 10 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
Assembled
prototype
5
6
Immobilization in carbon
nanostructures
Efficency in RDD detection
1st YEAR
Final response curves
•Prototype
characteristics
3
4
Characterization in
mixed field
•Mutant selection
1
2
Suitable
biomediator
Sensitivity to
radiation
MILESTONES
3rd YEAR
7 9 11
8 10 12
CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS
If the biodevice is able to recognize presence of a large range of radiation
20 %
If the biodevice is able to recognize presence of low levels of radiation 20 %
If the biodevice can recognize the presence of explosives 10 %
If the biodevice can recognize the presence of explosives, products of
explosion at the same time of the presence of radiation 10 %
If the device pass the tests in situ, real situation 15 %
If the scientific police will use the prototype for validation in situ after two
year from the end of the project 15 %
If the developed technology can be extended to agro-environmental
analyses within the end of the project 10 %
TOTAL 100 %
END-USERS
13 End-Users:
2 Hospitals; 2 Protection/Defence State Ministries; 5 Health and Environmental State Agencies;
3Industries; 1 Research Institute
APPLICATION
ITALY
Ministry of dell’Interno, Italian Criminal Laboratory Department
San Giovanni Hospital, Torino
– RDD/nuclear material detection
– Dosimetry in Radiotherapy
LITHUANIA
Lithuanian State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI)
Lithuanian Radiation Protection Centre (RSC)
UAB "Tikslioji Sinteze”
Ministry of National Defence of Republic of Lithuania
Institute of Physics
Science and Technology Park -
– Power Plant Dosimetry
– Nuclear waste control
– Commercial exploitation
– Antiterrorism
– Radioactive pollution monitoring
– Commercial exploitation
UKRAINE
ERE “AKP” ( “Atom Kompex Prylad”)
State Department Administration of the Chornobyl exclusion zone
– Commercial exploitation
– Contaminant monitoring
SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Military Air Force Hospital
– Monitoring/radioprotection in field
BULGARIA
State Agency for Metrology and Technical Surveillance
Civil Protection State Agency
– Contaminant monitoring
– RDD/nuclear material detection
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project coordinator ( Dr. A. Zanini) will have to monitor the global activity of the
consortium, maintain the relationships with the NATO funding organization and the
partners, including the end users.
PND director (Prof. J. Barkauskas) will support the project coordinator in
management activities, whit a special attention in managing of non-NATO partners.
Scientific and technical coordinator (STC- Prof. J. Stamenov) will take charge of
the permanent monitoring of the quality of the work and to provide strategic
guidelines for the scientific work.
Scenario Analysis Coordinator (SAC –Dr. Boyko Vachev) Scenario Analysis will be
considered for strategic application and exploitation of the final product
The steering committee (SC) will support the project director in discussing
technical, administrative, financial, legal or managerial problems; The SC is
composed by the STC , the PPD and SA expert and chaired by the NPD
Work-package leaders will be responsible for the work accomplished inside their
WPs.
MANAGEMENT & STEERING
COMMITEE
A.Zanini
INFN (Italy)
NPD
J.Stamenov
INRNE (Bulgaria)
(Scientific and technical
coordinator)
J.Barkauskas
(Lithuania)
PPD
B.Vachev
(Bulgaria)
Scenario analysis
Steering committee
WP6
G. Basile
WP5
O. Bondarenko
WP4
J. Stamenov
WP3
R. Kakanakov
WP7 – Training and dissemination
K. Kudela
WP2
J. Barkauskas
WP1 – Project management
A. Zanini
SfP BUDGET DISTRIBUTION
per country
Italy, INFN 20,000 €
Italy, BIOSENSOR
30,000 €
Lithuania 70,000 €
Ukraine 65,000 €
Slovak Republic
50,000 €
Bulgaria 65,000 €
per item
Equipment 83,000 €
Travel 47,900 €
Training 64,900 €
Consumables
91,700 €
Other 12,500 €
per year
1st year
141,650 €
2nd year
92,450 €
3rd year
65,900 €
STRENGTHS AND OPEN ISSUES
A new device based on biosensor and mutant technology to detect
every kind of radiation ( intensity and energy)
Protein immobilization in carbon nanostructures (micro-detector)
Various applications in antiterrorism:
Radiation
Airborne warfare agents
Chemical pollutants
Explosive traces
Possibility to realize an Array of different biosensors
for many applications
CONTRIBUTION OF NATO FUNDS
Improvment in:
Biosensor research
Bio - Technology,
Radiobiology
Nanothecnology,
High Technology industrial devices
Extension in other fields:
Detection of Airborne Chemical Warfare Agents (tabun, sarin, mustard,
dimethyil sulfide)
Control of nuclear material traffic
Space Application –Space Dosimetry
Health Application- Dosimetry in Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine
Food Quality Control
Ecology and Environmental protection
TOTAL IMPACT ON STABILITY,
SECURITY AND PEACE
Biosensors application in pre-emergency
Improvment in antiterrorism measure
Reduction in false alarms
Increased security
Interdisciplinary project
Social and economical
development
in partner countries
Biosensors application in post-emergency
Evaluation of:
contamination zone
water contamination
soil contamination
food contamination
Mitigation of the social, medical, psychological consequence