Monitoring many endogenous metabolites simultaneously allows for the characterization of metabolic derangements that underlie disease
Metabolomics is the comprehensive measurement of all metabolites and low-molecular weight molecules in a biological system. It goes beyond standard clinical chemistry, providing detailed characterization of metabolic phenotypes, discovery of new therapeutic targets, and biomarkers for disease diagnosis or activity of therapeutics. An in-depth understanding of metabolic pathways, and their changes in response to disease, can lead to the discovery of new therapeutic agents and clinical biomarkers. This in turn can result in better diagnosis and targeted treatments, improving overall outcomes for patients.
Fields of application of metabolomics
- Discovery of biomarkers
- Development of diagnostics/prognostics tests
- Understanding of disease diagnosis and taxonomy
- Characterization of drug effects
- Identification of targets for drug development
- Monitoring of drug treatment response
We profile metabolite levels using two complementary platforms: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS). We benefit from the best characteristics of both techniques: minimum sample preparation, robust quantification and easy metabolite recognition (NMR), together with high sensitivity and the capability of monitoring most of the biochemical pathways (HRMS).
Data analysis
We have developed specific protocols for sample handling of biofluids (serum, plasma, urine, CSF, saliva) as well as cell, bacterial or parasite extracts. We have also developed efficient data analysis protocols, including multivariate statistics.
Metabolomics in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries
Our metabolomics applications can help pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, from bioprocessing to drug discovery and clinical development. Our results can guide decision-making, from the selection of a target or drug candidate, to clinical trial design based on drug toxicity insights, mechanism of action and drug responders and efficacy signals.
Metabolomics and the transition between preclinical and clinical studies
Biochemical processes are highly conserved across species, making metabolic biomarkers easy to translate. This makes them especially useful in the transition from preclinical to clinical studies.
