Translational Metabolomics: Current Challenges and Future Opportunities

Abstract

Metabolomics is one of the latest omics technologies that has been applied successfully in many areas of life sciences. Despite being relatively new, a plethora of publications over the years have exploited the opportunities provided through this data and question driven approach. Most importantly, metabolomics studies have produced great breakthroughs in biomarker discovery, identification of novel metabolites and more detailed characterisation of biological pathways in many organisms. However, translation of the research outcomes into clinical tests and user-friendly interfaces has been hindered due to many factors, some of which have been outlined hereafter. This position paper is the summary of discussion on translational metabolomics undertaken during a peer session of the Australian and New Zealand Metabolomics Conference (ANZMET 2018) held in Auckland, New Zealand. Here, we discuss some of the key areas in translational metabolomics including existing challenges and suggested solutions, as well as how to expand the clinical and industrial application of metabolomics. In addition, we share our perspective on how full translational capability of metabolomics research can be explored.

Keywords: biomarker; clinical and industrial application; metabolite quantification; multi-omics; personalised medicine and nutrition.

Figure 1

Schematic diagram showing the typical analysis platforms used for metabolomics experiments, illustrating the range of detection limits and number of detectable metabolites typically achieved.

Figure 2

Generalised workflow for a metabolomics experiment, including some additional considerations which are often not considered within the scope of metabolomics.

Figure 3

Different hypothetical formats of miniature devices for measuring the concentration of specific metabolites.