Patent ID: 11885821
Assignee: DEFINITEK, INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  A | IPC A  G

Claim 0:
1. A method of assessing the presence of heavy metals and their concomitant effects in a human in need of such diagnosis, by performing a laboratory assay, said assay comprising the steps of:
a) adding to a sample collection container all three of 1) isotopically enriched glutathione (GSH), 2) isotopically enriched glutathione disulfide (GSSG) and 3) a measured amount of a thiol-group blocking agent; followed by
b) adding to said sample collection container of step a) a patient sample of blood, urine, saliva, blood components or tissue, wherein said thiol-group blocking agent forms a conjugate with all GSH present in the sample, said conjugate's significantly reducing but not stopping the oxidation or transformation of said GSH in said conjugate;
c) assaying said patient sample for the ratio of GSH and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) originally present in said sample at the time of collection and correcting the assayed ratio for oxidation or transformation of said GSH by direct IDMS (D-IDMS), accounting for species' transformations and conjugates and direct speciated isotope dilution mass spectrometry by calculating transitions based on the behavior of said isotopically enriched GSH and said isotopically enriched GSSG; and
d) reporting and determining the corrected ratio of said GSH to said GSSG original to said sample, such that if the ratio of GSH to GSSG in said patient sample is between 15-200, said ratio is indicative of the presence of heavy metals in said patient sample and the concomitant diagnostic significance of the presence of heavy metals in the patient sample.