Measurements of the composition of body fluids (urine, blood, plasma) are among the most important tools for disease detection and control. One class of measurement, less routinely applied but of increasing importance, is determination of trace element concentration. Currently, because of the complexity and expense involved in measuring important trace elements at the parts-per-billion level required, samples must be collected and sent to regional laboratories. Routine, high-sensitivity, point-of-care, measurement of trace elements can be valuable in three distinct ways: 1) Detection and measurement of nonessential toxic metals, such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic; 2) Monitoring the concentration of essential elements such as copper, zinc, selenium, chromium and iron, usually in plasma but also in urine and blood, to detect deficiency (related to growth retardation, Menke's disease, cardiovascular disease, etc.), or excess (related to diabetes, cancer, obesity, stroke, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, etc.); and 3) Measurement of the efficiency and rate of removal of toxic or excess elements by chelation therapy. It is the goal of this project to develop a novel, compact, inexpensive, easy to use, high-sensitivity, reliable, low-power analyzer for direct, clinical measurement of trace elements in body fluids, by using a new, novel, proprietary x-ray optics technology.
