Use of optical techniques to evaluate the ionizing radiation effects on biological specimens.

Radiation induces various changes in biological specimens; however, the evaluation of these changes is usually complicated and can be achieved only through investment in time and labor. Optical methods reduce the cost of such evaluations as they require less pretreatment of the sample, are adaptable to high-throughput screening and are easy to automate. Optical methods are also advantageous, owing to their real-time and onsite evaluation capabilities. Here, we discuss three optical technologies to evaluate the effects of radiation on biological samples: single-molecule tracking microscopy to evaluate the changes in the physical properties of DNA, Raman spectral microscopy for dosimetry using human hair and second-harmonic generation microscopy to evaluate the effect of radiation on the differentiation of stem cells. These technologies can also be combined for more detailed information and are applicable to other biological samples. Although optical methods are not commonly used to evaluate the effects of radiation, advances in this technology may facilitate the easy and rapid assessment of radiation effects on biological samples.