Expanding the provision of tools for trace element analysis of biomaterials is very attractive, especially where the tools can be used non-destructively and permit analysis throughout an intact sample volume. Some elements are notoriously difficult to analyse in biological material such as soft tissue, due to a lack of specificity (e.g. histological staining to distinguish copper and zinc), sensitivity (e.g. to trace metals such as manganese), or where elements are lost during tissue preparation and sectioning. In recent years, synchrotron micro- and nano-focussed X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping has been optimised as a sensitive, element-specific, non-destructive alternative to laser-ablation ICP-MS mapping, and this has been applied in many contexts including the dysregulation of transition metal metabolism in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer?s and Parkinson?s disease.