Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces Center of Excellence in Clinical Metabolomics, in Collaboration with University of California, Davis

 

Metabolomics studies the activity of small molecules throughout the entire biological system. As opposed to studying genes in a living organism, such as a plant or animal, metabolomics looks at how metabolomic programs are regulated by chemical signals within the cell.

The majority of metabolomics studies focus on analyzing isolated organs or tissues. However, for in vitro experiments and protein profiling, researchers commonly use multiple types of probes. For example, some researchers may look for unique chemicals across the organ or tissue of interest while others may look for metabolic differences across broad molecular complexes.

Through the use of metabolomics, scientists have been able to map metabolite function, identify individual compounds, and find relationships between related molecules and tissues. One of the most exciting areas of metabolomics research is metabolome analysis, which has resulted in a tremendous increase in our understanding of disease and healthy aging. This type of analysis has also contributed to the development of sophisticated new drug therapies.

Because the majority of metabolomic information comes from single-cell and multi-cell levels, it is important to consider the overall impact that these studies may have on your treatment. Drug interactions can occur at either level of the cell or within a specific tissue or organ. Organ or tissue level metabolomics can often be more sensitive and effective than single-cell or even whole tissue metabolomics. For example, whole organ metabolomics has demonstrated that metabolite concentrations can be correlated with specific drugs and medications in various diseases and disorders.

The U.S. is witnessing investment in R&D of techniques to support rapid, cost-effective clinical research into applications for metabolomics in precision medicine. In July 2021, Thermo Fisher Scientific and the University of California, Davis West Coast Metabolomics Center, announced the Center of Excellence in Clinical Metabolomics, a research collaboration for targeted and untargeted metabolic profiling for large-scale population-based cohorts across translational research and precision medicine.