LYNNTECH INC. — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: NICHD

Description

Iodine is an essential micronutrient and an integral component of thyroid hormonesIodine is obtained through the diet and is mainly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract as the inorganic anioniodideAn accurate assessment of population iodine status is necessary to inform public health policies and clinical research on iodine nutritionUrinary iodine concentrationUICdirectly reflects dietary iodine intake and is the most common indicator used worldwide to assess population iodine statusClinical laboratory tests of thyroid function are sometimes used as indicators of iodine statusalthough such use is often problematicEven in severely iodine deficient regionsthere is a great deal of intra individual variation in the ability of the thyroid to adaptIn most settings and in most population subgroups other than newbornsthyroid function tests are not considered sensitive indicators of population iodine statusHoweverthe thyroid derived protein thyroglobulin is increasingly being used for this purposeUIC is currently a well validated population biomarker for iodine statusbut individual biomarkers that could be used for researchpatient careand public health are lackingSeveral methods for determination of UIC are availableHowevercurrently used methods for urinary iodine measurement either require expensive instrumentation with qualified personnelinductively coupled plasma mass spectrometryinstrumental nuclear activation analysisor oxidative sample digestion to remove potential interferences prior to analysis by a kinetic colorimetric method originally introduced by Sandell and KolthoffThe Sandell Kolthoff method is based on the catalytic effect of iodide on the reaction between Ceand AsUIC has also been measured using ion selective electrodesbut it required removal of chloride ions from the urine sample by a chromatographic processIn additionthe ion selective and reference electrodes are prone to fouling and requires highly skilled personnel for use and maintenanceLynntech is proposing to develop a simple innovative method for rapid and accurate measurement of urinary iodine concentrationThis method will utilize convenient and disposable dry reagent cartridges for sample conditioning and iodine level determinationand eliminates the need for use of corrosive liquid reagentsProposed method for determination of urinary iodine involves three simple stepsFirstpass urine sample through an ion exchange cartridge for iodide extractionSecondpass a small volume of an eluentsalt waterthrough the ion exchange cartridgereagent cartridge and detection cartridge in series for elution of iodideoxidation of iodide to iodine and capture iodide on a detection membraneThirdmeasure iodine concentration using a colorimeterBecause of the ease of use and low cost this technology can potentially make a significant impact on public health by making it possible to conveniently measure UIC much more frequently and providing accurate assessment of iodine deficiency at an individual basis Iodine is an essential micronutrient and its deficiency causes mental retardationimpaired growth and development and many other complicationsUrinary iodine concentrationUICdirectly reflects dietary iodine intake and is the most common indicator of iodine statusA rapidsensitive and convenient method for measurement of UIC is highly desirable for protecting general public from the adverse effects of iodine deficiency