Bioessential metals operate at a delicate interface in biological systems between their essential functions and the destructive havoc they cause when they escape their normal control mechanisms. This is especially true for the so-called redox metals (Iron, Copper, Manganese, and Zinc) which are required for development and operation of the central nervous system and cardiovascular system but also play a central role in disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), Friedreich's ataxia, and others. In addition, neurotoxic metals such as Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, and Cadmium have been shown to impair neural function even at trace levels. Current methods to monitor the concentration, distribution, and function of metals have specialized benefits but none allow quantitative measurement of the concentration and distribution of the broad range of metals and concentrations of interest. New and efficient x-ray optics now enable monochromatic micro x-ray fluorescence (MMXRF) tools for measurement of virtually all metals in tissue samples with high sensitivity, dynamic range and spatial resolution. Furthermore, this can be achieved with a safe, compact, reliable, low power, cost effective, easy-to- use analyzer that can operate in medical research laboratories directly on tissue samples before they are dried, stained or treated for other complementary studies.
The aim of this project is to develop and apply such a point-of-use analyzer. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, Friedreich's ataxia and other neurological and cardiovascular disorders have been associated with an excess or deficiency of both essential metals and toxic metals in brain and heart tissue. Laboratory based high-sensitivity, quantitative measurement of the concentration and distribution of metal clusters in tissue is now possible by use of new x-ray optics developed by X-ray Optical Systems.
