text: Iron plays many roles in human biology, specifically in oxygen transport, short-term oxygen storage, and metabolism Iron also plays a role in the body's immune system. Current biomedical research aims to use iron isotopes to better understand the speciation of iron in the body, with hopes of eventually being able to reduce the availability of free iron, as this would help to defend against infection.
  Iron isotopes can also be utilized to better understand iron absorption in humans. The iron isotopic composition of blood reflects an individual's long-term absorption of dietary iron. This allows for the study of genetic predisposition to blood conditions, such as anemia, which will ultimately enable the prevention, identification, and resolution of blood disorders. Iron isotopic data could also aid in identifying impairments of the iron absorption regulatory system in the body, which would help to prevent the development of pathological conditions related to issues with iron regulation.