Developing the use of metal isotopes as disease diagnostics: Methods & applications

Developing the use of metal isotopes as disease diagnostics: Methods & applications

Advisor/s

Dr Brandon Mahan

College or Research Centre

College of Science & Engineering

Summary of Project

Breakthroughs in the nascent field of Isotope Metallomics include the use of Cu and Zn isotopes as diagnostic indicators for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and the use of Ca isotopes as a diagnostic tool for osteoporosis. This field harnesses techniques originally developed in the geosciences to address scientific questions in the medical sciences. While such findings hold great promise, further research is required to establish the true potential of these tools and generate statistically significant datasets. This project has aims to explore the mechanistic linkages between the important micro-nutrients Cu and Zn and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s (AD). This will be accomplished by a multi-faceted approach combining Cu and Zn isotope characterizations from relevant experimental and animal model data, as well as from a large cohort of well-characterized human blood and/or brain samples from a neurodegenerative biobank.

Key Words

Isotopes; diagnostic tools; osteoporosis

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Updated: 22 Mar 2022