International Workshop IPEN 2026, São Paulo

Between October 21 and 23, 2026, the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN/CNEN) in São Paulo hosted an international meeting dedicated to the future of irradiation technologies applied to biological products and tissue banks. The workshop “Adoption of Electron Beam and X-Ray Technologies for Biological Products and Tissue Banks” brought together specialists, hospital managers, and tissue bank representatives from Brazil and several Latin American countries.

Dr. Silvestre Bongiovanni Abel took part in the discussion on technological advances and applications focused on the preservation of biomaterials, the processing of biological products, and the needs of tissue banks and healthcare institutions.

The event was held in technical cooperation with the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE/NNSA), through the Office of Radiological Security (ORS), and sought to broaden the debate on the adoption of technologies capable of replacing or complementing conventional irradiation sources, with particular attention to electron accelerators (eBeam) and X-ray systems.

The workshop also gave participants the opportunity to get a close look at some of the irradiation and acceleration facilities located on the IPEN campus: the 700 keV Mobile Electron Beam Unit, an accelerator mounted on a vehicle chassis and developed for field decontamination and effluent treatment applications. The tour also included the 1.5 MeV Dynamitron® Industrial Accelerator, used in a continuous polymer crosslinking processing line, and the Multipurpose Cobalt-60 Irradiator, with an activity of 1 MCi, which supports research activities in areas such as biology, medical supplies, and the conservation of heritage collections.