Now yeast microbreweries can read radiation exposure and prevent cancer

Now yeast microbreweries can read your daily exposure to radiation and help you prevent developing cancer, cataract, thyroid, skin irritation and more caused due to excessive exposure to radiation.

Written By: Sreemoyee Chatterjee | Published : August 11, 2018 11:36 AM IST

In case you are a hospital lab worker and are worried about tracking radiation exposure, here is great news for you. Scientists have developed yeast microbreweries that can enable hospital lab workers mark daily radiation exposure better, making it easier to assess tissue damage that can cause cancer, according to a recent report by PTI. A group of researchers at US based Purdue University have grown yeast with the help of disposable badges made of freezer paper, aluminium and tape instead of using portable cellars or ovens.

The research published by in the journal Advanced Biosystems, the yeast gets activated on adding a drop of water and shows radiation exposure that is measured by an electronic device. If commercialised, a tablet or a phone can become the readout device someday, stated the researchers. Nuclear power plant workers and victims of nuclear disasters also can adapt the badge in future, they highlighted.

Manuel Ochoa, a post-doctoral researcher at Purdue University, reportedly said: "You would use the badge when you are in the lab and recycle it after you have checked your exposure by plugging it into a device."

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Researchers say this can be of immense help for radiology workers who are exposed to low doses of radiation while getting patient imagery like X-rays. This because exposure to radiation beyond the regulated guidelines can increase risk of developing cancer, cataracts, skin irritation, thyroid and many more.

Babak Ziaie, a professor at Purdue University reportedly said: "Currently radiology workers are required to wear badges, called dosimeters, on various parts of their bodies for monitoring exposure. They wear these badges for a month or two and then return them to the manufacturing company. But it takes weeks for the company to read the data and send a report back to the hospital. Ours give an instant reading at much lower cost."

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