Analyzer for monitoring personal environmental exposure to fluids and materials

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability. Pursuant to that mission, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) released the RFP topic stating their objective and mission that human health and human disease result from three interactive elements: environmental exposure, genetic susceptibility, and age. The mission of NIEHS is to reduce the burden of human disease and dysfunction from environmental causes by understanding each of these components and how they interrelate. The proposed project from X-ray Optical Systems (XOS) will make a significant contribution for both the NIH and NIEHS Missions, as well as meet the needs of the NIEHS research objective. This project involves development and application of a low-power, compact, reliable, easy-to-operate instrument for measurement of trace elements in any liquid, gel, or solid that can be homogenized. This enables an individual environmental exposure assessment. In the home, place of employment, and recreational settings, it can be used for patients undergoing study and treatment for major diseases or for individual and occupational health risk assessment. Abnormal levels of bio-essential metals (iron, copper, and zinc) as well as toxic trace elements (mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic) are known to be associated with many health disorders such as cancer, cognitive impairment, and neurological diseases. The presence of metals is well-known in most neurodegenerative pathologies, such as excess serum copper or brain iron accumulation, which are associated with Wilson's, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease. In spite of their recognized importance, personal exposure to these metals is not routinely measured or monitored in materials in the patient's personal environment. This is due in large part to the difficulty and expense of these metal measurements in the field or clinic. The proposed analyzer is based on new, powerful, proprietary, monochromatic doubly curved crystal (DCC) X-ray optics technology that greatly increases the efficiency and sensitivity for elemental analysis. This new analyzer has the potential to offer an inexpensive, portable, robust, and safe elemental analyzer for measurements taken on-site, with little or no sample preparation. Furthermore, this will reduce costs for large scale studies such as the Genes, Environment and Health Initiative (GEI) and the National Children's Study (NCS). The proposed analyzer will facilitate much needed links between genetics and exposure research leading to improvements in quality of life while reducing healthcare costs related to a variety of chronic conditions. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project is part of a major effort by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS), in particular, the Genes, Environment and Health Initiative (GEI), to determine the origin of major diseases. This proposed project will develop a portable personal environmental analyzer that will measure, in the home or workplace, the elemental composition of virtually every substance with which a subject/patient comes into contact, including: food stuffs, medicines, spices, condiments, liquids (water, wine, coffee beer, tea) and all materials placed on the subject/patient's skin such as: lotions, perfumes, cosmetics (lipstick, makeup), soaps, shampoos, deodorant, etc. which can then be correlated with conditions and diseases of the subject/patient. Other applications for this technology are expected to be part of the GEI, the National Children's Study (NCS), in workplace assessments of occupational exposure, hospitals, or other medical or research settings.