High-sensitivity radiation detectors for energetic particles are essential for advanced applications in particle physics, astronomy and cancer therapy. Current particle detectors use bulk crystals, and thin-film organic scintillators have low light yields and limited radiation tolerance. Here we present transmissive thin scintillators made from CsPbBr₃ nanocrystals, designed for real-time single-proton counting. These perovskite scintillators exhibit exceptional sensitivity, with a high light yield (~100,000 photons per MeV) when subjected to proton beams. This enhanced sensitivity is attributed to radiative emission from biexcitons generated through proton-induced upconversion and impact ionization. These scintillators can detect as few as seven protons per second, a sensitivity level far below the rates encountered in clinical settings. The combination of rapid response (~336 ps) and pronounced ionostability enables diverse applications, including single-proton tracing, patterned irradiation and super-resolution proton imaging. These advancements have the potential to improve proton dosimetry in proton therapy and radiography.

The combination of an optical microscope and a luminescent probe plays a pivotal role in biological imaging because it allows for probing subcellular structures. However, the optical resolutions are largely constrained by Abbe’s diffraction limit, and the common dye probes often suffer from photobleaching. Here we present a new method for subwavelength imaging by combining lanthanide-doped upconversion nanocrystals with the ionoluminescence imaging technique. We experimentally observed that the ion beam can be used as a new form of excitation source to induce photon upconversion in lanthanide-doped nanocrystals. This approach enables luminescence imaging and simultaneous mapping of cellular structures with a spatial resolution of sub-30 nm.

Correlative imaging and quantification of intracellular nanoparticles with the underlying ultrastructure is crucial for understanding cell-nanoparticle interactions in biological research. However, correlative nanoscale imaging of whole cells still remains a daunting challenge. Here, we report a straightforward nanoscopic approach for whole-cell correlative imaging, by simultaneous ionoluminescence and ultrastructure mapping implemented with a highly focused beam of alpha particles. We demonstrate that fluorescent nanodiamonds exhibit fast, ultrabright and stable emission upon excitation by alpha particles. Thus, by using fluorescent nanodiamonds as imaging probes, our approach enables quantification and correlative localization of single nanodiamonds within a whole cell at sub-30 nm resolution. As an application example, we show that our approach, together with Monte Carlo simulations and radiobiological experiments, can be employed to provide unique insights into the mechanisms of nanodiamond radiosensitization at the single whole-cell level. These findings may benefit clinical studies of radio-enhancement effects by nanoparticles in charged-particle cancer therapy.

Proton therapy, characterized by its unique Bragg peak, offers the potential to optimize the destruction of cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues, positioning it as one of the most advanced cancer treatment modalities currently available. However, in comparison to heavy ions, protons exhibit a relatively lower relative biological effectiveness (RBE), which limits the efficacy of proton therapy. The incorporation of nanoparticles for radiosensitization presents a novel approach to enhance the RBE of protons. This review provides a comprehensive discussion of the recent advancements in augmenting the biological effects of proton therapy through the use of nanoparticles. It examines the various types of nanoparticles that have been the focus of extensive research, elucidates their mechanisms of radiation sensitization, and evaluates the factors influencing the efficiency of this sensitization process. Furthermore, this review discusses the latest synergistic therapeutic strategies that integrate nanoparticle-mediated radiosensitization and outlines prospective directions for the future application of nanoparticles in conjunction with proton therapy.

High-resolution microscopy techniques have become an essential tool in both biological and biomedical sciences, enabling the visualization of biological processes at cellular and subcellular levels. For many years, these imaging techniques utilized conventional optical microscopes including those with confocal facilities. However, the spatial resolutions achieved were largely limited to around 200 nm, as determined by the diffraction of light. To overcome this diffraction barrier, considerable scientific and technological effort has resulted in the development of super-resolution optical-based techniques, scanning probe microscopies, and also techniques utilizing charged particles (e.g., energetic electrons and ions) or high-energy photons (e.g., X-ray), which exhibit much shorter de Broglie wavelengths. Among the charged particle techniques, those utilizing mega-electron-volt (MeV) ion beams appear to have unique advantages primarily because MeV ions can penetrate through several microns of biological tissue (e.g., whole cells) with little deflection in their trajectories, and hence spatial resolutions are maintained while traversing the sample. Recently, we have witnessed the significant development of MeV ion beam focusing systems in reducing beam dimensions well below 100 nm, such that single whole cell imaging at 20 nm spatial resolutions is now possible. In this review, two super resolution imaging modalities that utilize MeV highly focused ion beams are discussed: Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy (STIM), which images the areal density of cells and gives an insight into the cellular structure, and Proton/Helium-ion Induced Fluorescence Microcopy (P/HeIFM), which images the fluorescence emission of fluorescent markers and probes used as labels within the cells. This review hopes to demonstrate the potential of MeV ion microscopy, which is still in its infancy, and describe the simultaneous use of STIM and P/HeIFM as a new and powerful multifaceted technology.