Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) for Clinical, Environmental,
Nutritional, and Dietary Supplement Analysis
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
1:30 p.m., Room 235

Organizer:

Stephen A. Wise, Analytical Chemistry Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Speakers:

1:35    SRMs for Nutritional Status Assessments: What Constitutes Vitamin Deficiency?  KAREN W PHINNEY, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Mary Bedner, Lacey C Brent, Jeanice Brown Thomas, Johanna Camara, Nathan Dodder, Bryant C Nelson, Catherine A Rimmer, Lane C Sander, Katherine E Sharpless, Stephen A Wise

2:05    Human Serum, Milk, and Urine SRMs Characterized for Trace Organic Contaminants  MICHELE SCHANTZ, National Institute of Standards and Technology

2:35    Supporting U.S. Industries through Standards Activities and Reference Materials Development in Response to Declarable Substances Regulations  JOHN RICHARD SIEBER, National Institute of Standards and Technology

3:05    Recess

3:20    Metrology of Herbs:  Botanical Dietary Supplement Standard Reference Materials   LANE SANDER, National Institute of Standards and Technology

3:50    SRMs for Elemental Speciation Measurements  CLAY DAVIS, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Steven J Christopher, Rolf Zeisler, Lee Yu, Rick Paul, John  Sieber, Jacqueline L Mann, Karen Murphy, Stephen E Long

4:20    Improving Measurement Quality in Proteomics and Metabolomics with Reference Materials  DAVID BUNK, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Karen Phinney

Overview:

For over 100 years the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has provided Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) that play an essential role in the validation of analytical methods, as control materials to assure measurement quality, and as tools to provide metrological traceability to national and international standards.  New natural matrix SRMs are under development to address needs associated with national human environmental exposure and nutritional assessment studies, international directives on hazardous substances, food and dietary supplement labeling and safety requirements, and comparability of measurements within the emerging “omics” revolution. 

Recent SRM developments for measurements of human exposure to environmental contaminants include human serum and milk for over 100 organic contaminants, air particulate matter for organic and inorganic contaminants, and urine for trace elements including speciated arsenic.  To meet labeling and safety concerns of the expanding dietary supplement market, a number of botanical dietary supplement SRMs are available or in progress including ephedra, ginkgo biloba, saw palmetto, carrot extract, bitter orange, and multivitamin/multielement tablets.  Rapid advances in measurement methodologies are fueling the “omics” revolution in the biosciences, particularly proteomics and metabolomics.   Unfortunately these “omics” approaches have been limited because measurement results are often not repeatable or comparable among measurement technologies or laboratories.  Reference materials are crucial to improve the quality of analytical measurements and to move ‘omic’ measurements from qualitative to quantitative efforts.  Recent developments in SRMs for the measurement of organic and inorganic species in clinical, environmental, nutritional, and dietary supplement analysis will be presented.