Study on Radiation Exposure of Regenerative Medical Products during Air Transportation

Abstract

As regenerative medicine becomes more active, the need for international transportation of regenerative medical products such as stem cells is increasing. Currently, international transport is mainly by air, but there are concerns about the effects of exposure to X-rays during security inspections at airports and cosmic radiation. Although the probability of cosmic radiation hitting cell nuclei during a single international flight to/from Japan is not high, it is necessary to minimize not only cell death and malignant transformation, but also the effects on the differentiation potential required of stem cells. Therefore, it is necessary to study the effects of low-dose radiation exposure during air transport and to develop transport containers and systems that can effectively shield cells from space radiation.