EDUCATION:
M.D., 1981, Ph.D., 1984, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

MEMBERSHIPS:
Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders
American Society for Nutritional Sciences
Alpha Omega Alpha
Sigma Xi

Publications   CV 

Mass spectrometry is used to identity molecules for research, clinical, and legal purposes. Our clinical activities include screening for inborn errors of metabolism in children by quantifying chemicals in body fluids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We developed a new method of sample preparation which allows carbohydrates and amino and organic acids to be detected in the same sample. See our Web site at biochemweb.slu.edu/msl. Review of thousands of recent samples from seriously ill infants and children has shown that clinically relevant nutritional metabolic abnormalities outnumber genetic metabolic abnormalities by about 10 to 1. Current research is concerned with the evaluation of special nutritional needs in children with Down syndrome and the diagnosis of vitamin deficiency by quantitation of urinary metabolites after an oral dose of amino acids and other food constituents.