BETAview autoradiography system: laboratory tests and biological experiments

An autoradiography system prototype (BETAview) is presented; it is aimed at quantitative dynamic analysis of radioactive labelled biological samples. The system is based on a GaAs pixel array detector, bump-bonded to a low threshold and single particle counting electronics (Medipix). The detector has an area of about 1 cm2, segmented in 64×64 square pixels, 200 μm thick. Studies with gamma and beta emitters (210Pb, 241Am, 152Eu, 32P, 90Sr and 14C) allowed to identify optimal detector bias, to estimate detection efficiency and to measure system counting linearity. Two experiments showed the system capability to select radionuclides with different beta spectra and to perform a real time monitoring of biological phenomena.