Metabolomics: An introduction

Systems Chemical biology Beginner 1 hour This course provides a basic introduction into the rapidly emerging field of metabolomics and its importance and applications. Learning objectives: Comprehend the purpose and importance of the field of metabolomics Describe some principles of metabolomic study design Evaluate advantages and limitations of some analytical techniques used in metabolomics studies Discuss some of the modern-day applications of metabolomics Access metabolomics resources at the EMBL-EBI What is metabolomics? Metabolomics [4] is the large-scale study of small molecules [5], commonly known as metabolites, within cells, biofluids, tissues or organisms. Collectively, these small molecules and their interactions within a biological system are known as the metabolome. Figure 1 An overview of the four major "omics" fields, from genomics to metabolomics. Just as genomics is the study of DNA and genetic information within a cell, and transcriptomics [6] is the study of RNA and differences in mRNA expression; metabolomics is the study of substrates and products of metabolism [7], which are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors (Figure 1).