Single-ion microbeam for applications in radiobiology: state of the art

Single-Ion Microbeam (SIM) is uniquely capable of precisely delivering a predefined number of charged particles (precise doses of radiation) to individual cells or sub-cellular targets in situ. Since the early 1990's, there has been an ever-increasing interest in developing and applying the SIM technique to problems in radiobiology for studies of cell and tissue damaged by ionizing radiations. Potential applications for SIM in radiobiology continues to grow and have been diversified. There are currently more than 14 SIM facilities worldwide, and they have been in a constant state of evolution. This paper reviews the current state of SIM research worldwide and the related pivotal technological developments in the fields of both biophysics and radiobiology. Representative applications and the perspective of SIM are also introduced and discussed. (authors)