LOW LEVEL TRACES MAPPING USING MONOCHROMATIC X-RAYS

There are important medical applications that will benefit from a desktop imaging tool which detects and maps parts per billion level metals and other heavy elements in tissues in vitro and in vivo. A compact instrument will be proposed for elemental imaging of dry tissues as well as living tissues based on monochromatic micro x-ray fluorescence (MMXRF). This tool, based on innovative, large-aperture, doubly-curved crystal optics, is capable of detecting ppb levels of transition metal and heavy elements with a spatial resolution of a few micrometers. This would assist in the research of Alzheimer?s and Parkinson?s diseases, prostate cancer and other medical issues. This can also be a relatively inexpensive tool for the screening and monitoring of environmental and occupational exposure of toxic elements. The Phase I research has been very successfully completed and the feasibility of the MMXRF has been clearly demonstrated. In this Phase II project, a prototype desktop MMXRF system will be developed that incorporates an interchangeable modular x-ray beam unit to probe samples with different x-ray energies. Spatial distribution of Mn, Fe, Se, and Cd will be mapped in tissues related to Alzheimer?s disease and prostate cancer using the prototype system.