The Effect of Mouse Size on Dose from an X-Rad320 Irradiator

• Published in: Radiation research Vol. 197; no. 6; pp. 650 - 654
• Main Authors: Stasko, John T., Hammer, Clifford G., Culberson, Wesley S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Radiation Research Society 01-06-2022
• Subjects: Animals; Humans; Mice; Monte Carlo Method; Phantoms, Imaging; REGULAR ARTICLES; Thermoluminescent Dosimetry - methods; Uncertainty
• ISSN: 0033-7587; 1938-5404
• DOI: 10.1667/RADE-21-00119.1

Irradiation protocols for murine experiments often use standardized dose rate estimates for calculating dose delivered, regardless of physical variations between mouse subjects. This work sought to determine the significance of mouse size on absorbed dose. Five mouse-like phantoms of various sizes based on the mouse whole-body (MOBY) model were 3D printed. The phantoms were placed in an X-Rad320 biological irradiator and a standard irradiation protocol was used to deliver dose. Dose was measured using thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) microcubes inside each phantom, and the relative readings were used to calculate output factors (OFs), normalized to the phantom of median volume. Additionally, the OF for each mouse was simulated in Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code. For both the TLD measurements and MCNP simulations, the OF for each mouse was determined by both experiments and calculations to be unity within the relative standard uncertainties (k = 1). This work supports comparing results across various studies using the X-Rad320 irradiator without need for corrections based on mouse size.