The original Concerted Action ('EUROCARDI') aims at coordinating research activities of six participating groups on the development and evaluation of new, highly specific and rapid methods and novel instrumentation for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction and of minor myocardial damage (instable angina) in man. The methods are based on the new infarction marker fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) and modern immuno-sensor technology which allows rapid (within 10 minutes) bed-side analysis of specific proteins in plasma. The Concerted Action comprises the final technical improvement of the FABP-immunosensor and its evaluation in two multi-center clinical trials. The additional proposal consists of including the Medical Academy of Bialystok, North-East Poland, to the project so as to (i) extent the multi-center evaluation studies, and (ii) include a study on the influence of pathological factors on the performance of the FABP-immunosensor test. For this latter aspect plasma samples will be examined from patients with chronic renal insufficiency, patients with increased cardiac function, and patients with untreated or poorly controlled diabetes. Extension of the project with the polish group is expected to yield important information on the general applicability of the immunosensor test that will be of great value when introducing this test into Western as well as Central and Eastern European medical practice.