Graduate Research School Available Projects Developing the use of metal isotopes as disease diagnostics
Developing the use of metal isotopes as disease diagnostics: Methods & applications
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Title of Project
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
Would suit an applicant who
Updated: 22 Mar 2022