J.S. Vogel, K.W. Turteltaub, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Nuclear Instruments and Methods 92 (1994) 445-453

Biological effects occur in natural systems at chemical concentrations of parts per billion (1: 10^9) or less. Affected biomolecules may be separable in only milligram or microgram quantities. Ouantification at attomole sensitivity is needed !o study these interactions. AMS measures isotope concentrations to parts per 10^13-15 on milligram-sized samples and is ideal for quantifying long-lived radioisotopic labels for tracing biochemical pathways in natural systems. 14C-AMS has now been coupled to a variety of organic separation and definition technologies. Our primary research investigates pharmacokinetics and genotoxicities of toxins and drugs at very low doses. Human subjects research using AMS includes nutrition, toxictry and elemental balance studies. 3H, 41Ca and 26Alare also traced by AMS for fundamental biochemical kinetic research. Expansion of biomcdical AMS awaits further development of biochemical and accelerator technologies designed specifically for these applications.