MODE STIRRED REVERBERATION CHAMBER (MSRC): A LARGE AND EFFICIENT TOOL TO LEAD HIGH FREQUENCY BIOELECTROMAGNETIC IN VITRO EXPERIMENTATION

Abstract

An important aspect of the studies undertaken in bioelectromagnetism relates to the choice of exposure facility. The characteristics of a real electromagnetic environment are far more complex compared to the one plane wave irradiation set-up used in the majority of bioelectromagnetic studies. Moreover, biological requirements should represent the starting point in the design of an in vitro exposure system. Indeed it is important to avoid altering the electromagnetic properties of the exposure system in the presence of biological equipments. Related to these two essential points, this article contributes to show the advantages of a Mode Stirred Reverberation Chamber (MSRC) to guarantee a controlled electromagnetic environment around biological materials for in vitro experimentation. An example of irradiation of in vitro human skin cells cultures is considered to illustrate this paper. In order to show that the biological conditions and the physical requirements for in vitro experiments are checked, two aspects are described. Firstly we achieved the characterization of the electromagnetic fleld generated around the biological system (both equipments and cultures). Secondly the analysis of the Speciflc Absorption Rate (SAR) inside the biological medium was evaluated both numerically and experimentally. Initially,