LARGE AREA IMAGING DETECTOR FOR TRITIUM SAMPLES

MOST OF THE TISSUE IN THE HUMAN BODY REGENERATES AFTER INJURY. ONE OF THE FEW TISSUES THAT ARE UNABLE TO REGENERATE IS THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS). RESEARCHERS USE RADIOACTIVE TRITIUM (3H) COMPOUNDS TO LABEL THESE PROTEINS TO IDENTIFY THE PROTEINS THAT MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INABILITY OF THE CNS TO REGENERATE. A MAJOR TECHNICAL HURDLE THAT IMPEDES THE RATE OF PROGRESS ARISES FROM THE FACT THAT EXPENSIVE LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTER ARE NEEDED FOR TRITIUM BETA DETECTION. WHILE BEING A SENSITIVE TECHNIQUE, IT IS DESTRUCTIVE TO SAMPLES, INCONVENIENT TO PREPARE AND GENERATES SIGNIFICANT QUANTITIES OF CHEMICAL AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE. WE WILL DEVELOP AN ALTERNATE TECHNOLOGY WHICH WILL ALLOW THE TRITIATED SAMPLES TO BE MEASURED DIRECTLY ON THE SEPARATION FILTER MEMBRANE WITHOUT THE USE OF FLUID. BY USING A MONOLITHIC ARRAY OF UNIQUELY SENSITIVE, SOLID STATE TRITIUM DETECTORS, A NEW INSTRUMENT CAN BE DEVELOPED WHICH IS NOT ONLY FASTER AND LESS EXPENSIVE, PROVIDING AUTOMATED DATA ANALYSIS, BUT PRODUCES NO ADDITIONAL HAZARDOUS LIQUID WASTE.