Learning outcomes

As part of the Competency-Based Approach, students will be trained in the following critical learnings.
 
Build their professionalism as physicists:
  • Valuing the contribution of physics studies
  • Decide on the right ethical posture
  • Distinguish between scientific facts (technical opinion, theoretical elements) and opinions (their position in the social debate)
  • Be critical of one's choices, multiply and cross-reference one's sources
 
Model a physical phenomenon:
  • Perceive the validity of a model and improve it if necessary.
  • Integrate model uncertainties and risks.
 
Communicate concepts, experimental results and their interpretation:
  • Apply the standards of written and oral scientific communication.

Goals

Understand interactions between ionizing radiation and living cells

Content

- Chapter I: Radiation-matter interaction
o Stopping power, attenuation coefficient, fragmentation of heavy ions
o From macroscopic dosimetry to microdosimetry
o Radiochemistry

- Chapter II: Fundamental radiobiology
o DNA: Damage generation, chromosomal rearrangements and DNA repair
o Cell death and survival (biological understanding and mathematical model)
o Radiobiological quantities (LET, RBE, OER, ...)
o Non-targeted effects

- Chapter III: What about the clinic?
o Introduction to radiotherapy
o The 5 R's of radiobiology
o Fractionation, a key element of radiobiology
o Radiotherapy treatment sequence

- Chapter IV: How to modify the cellular response to radiation?
o By influencing the physical phase (dose deposition, dose rate, etc.)
o By modifying the chemical phase
o By modifying the biological phase (Repair, Repopulation, Redistribution, Radiosensitivity)

- Chapter V: Space radiation biology
o Introduction to space radiation sources
o Space exploration and large LET particles
o Radioprotection of astronauts

Assessment method

Oral exam

 

Language of instruction

Anglais