Developing a Clinically Useful Calcium Isotope Biomarker

Naturally-occurring Ca is mixture of six isotopes Ca-40, Ca-42, Ca-43, Ca-44, Ca-46, Ca-48). Biological reaction rates and equilibrium constants depend slightly, but measurably, on atomic mass, causing the relative abundances of Ca isotopes to vary between different tissues. During bone formation, light isotopes of Ca are preferentially incorporated into bone, leaving soft tissue depleted in light isotopes. In contrast, bone resorption exhibits no isotopic preference, and thus transfers the light isotope signature of bone back to soft tissue. This balance makes the Ca isotope composition of soft tissue (e.g. serum, urine) a highly sensitive, quantitative tracer for whole-body bone mineral balance (BMB).