ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some animal radiation experimental work done before the advent of the sophisticated precision irradiator/imager systems for animals. The radiation equipment used to irradiate animals (most commonly mice or rats) often does not have the complexity of that used on humans. Just as human radiotherapy is often performed under image guidance, small animal radiotherapy should then also be performed under high-resolution image guidance. The growing understanding of tumor microenvironment factors and the development of transgenic animal models has led to a major effort to develop small animal imaging technologies. A consortium of research institutes in Dresden built an in-house animal research platform, which resembles somewhat a compact version of the commercial X-RAD 225Cx system. The chapter provides a brief overview of the commissioning procedures needed to characterize the mechanical and dosimetric behavior of small animal radiation research platforms.
