Applied Isotope Technologies will Exclusively Supply Biochemimarker(TM) Discovery Products for a Unique Pilot Study...( PITTSBURGH May 8 /- Applied Isoto...)

PITTSBURGH, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Applied Isotope Technologies ("AIT") announced today that the company's Biochemimarker(TM) Discovery Products will be exclusively used for the analyses of samples from autistic children for metabolic biochemical assessment when they are placed in an Environmental Pediatric Room to be constructed at The Children's Institute in Pittsburgh, PA. Scott Faber, MD, a specialist in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) will lead a team of scientists for this pilot project that aims to study the effects of environmental factors on this debilitating set of disorders. Duquesne University's Skip Kingston, Ph.D., will conduct the analytical tasks and provide the biochemimarker data. Funding for the initial phase of the project was provided by Alcoa Company as a $200,000 grant. At the conclusion of the feasibility phase, the work will be expanded with funding from other sources, both public and private. According to Scott Faber, MD, the lead investigator, "the Alcoa grant gives The Children's Hospital an opportunity to explore the possible connections that may exist between environmental factors and autism."

Matt Pamuku, CEO of AIT said, "The products offered by AIT, especially the consumable kits are tailor-made for this pioneering work. Through accurate profiling of biologically significant mercury species as a function of response to environment exposure, for example, some of the questions concerning thimerosal -- a mercury containing vaccine preservative -- might be answered." Mr. Pamuku added, "In the future, such measurements will reveal new information that may lead to better health risk assessment and early intervention choices for ASD similar to the currently mandated PKU tests that are done for all newborn babies in the US." PKU, or phenylketonuria, is an inborn error of metabolism that affects 1 in 10,000 babies. Identification of PKU in children at birth allows immediate intervention through a special diet that circumvents sev
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