Biophysics at the Intersection of Health Science and Nuclear Technology.

Abstract

We’re all on a quest for improved heart health, but what do we really know about it? A daily regimen of aspirin can help some people with heart disease. We need to lower our cholesterol,and increase our intake of omega fatty acids. There is simply no health benefit to taking extra vitamin E, and it's not known why. Apart from cardiac tests with radiopharmaceuticals,what role does nuclear technology play in this story? It turns out that cold and thermal neutrons are important tools for the biophysicists studying these topics. We will review some recently published studies that are advancing our understanding of how cholesterol, vitaminE, and aspirin all work at the molecular level, inside the membrane of our cells. These insights could not have been learned without access to research reactor neutron beams such as those at the Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, and how this new knowledge has really engaged the broader health science community into new ways of thinking about these molecules.