Metabolomics Analysis Service

Metabolomics is the large-scale study of small molecules, known as metabolites, within cells, biofluids, tissues, or organisms. These metabolites and their interactions within a biological system are collectively referred to as the metabolome. Moreover, Metabolomics technology is an emerging technology that enables comprehensive analysis of metabolites in biological samples.
 

In the post-genomic era, metabolomics has become a cross-disciplinary field with the primary goal of quantitatively studying the diverse dynamic metabolite levels when an organism confront with external stimuli, pathophysiological changes, and genetic mutations. Established at the end of the 20th century by professor Jeremy Nicholson at Imperial College London, metabolomics has since expanded rapidly into various fields such as disease diagnosis, drug development, nutritional science, toxicology, environmental science, and botany, all of which are closely related to human health care.

 



Figure 1. Metabolomics

 

Metabolomics technology now exceeds standard clinical chemistry techniques, accurately analyzing hundreds to thousands of metabolites. It provides detailed information of the metabolic phenotype, enabling precise medical research, including the characterization of metabolic disorders underlying diseases, discovery of new therapeutic targets, and identification of biomarkers for disease diagnosis or monitoring drug activity.

 

The most common metabolomics analysis methods are mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. MS techniques include LC-MS and GC-MS. The basic principle of MS involves ionizing sample components in an ion source, generating charged ions with different mass-to-charge (m/z) ratios, forming an ion beam under an accelerating electric field, and entering the mass analyzer. In the mass analyzer, electric and magnetic fields are used to achieve opposite speed dispersion, focusing the ions to obtain a mass spectrum. This determines their mass (m/z) and allows quantitative or semi-quantitative analysis based on the intensity of m/z. NMR is a spectroscopic technique based on the principle of nuclear energy absorption and re-emission caused by changes in an external magnetic field. NMR spectra can be used to quantify concentrations and characterize the chemical structures of metabolites.

 

The choice of metabolomics technology depends primarily on the study's objectives and sample type. NMR requires minimal sample preparation, and the spectra generated have a linear relationship with compound concentrations. However, NMR's relatively low sensitivity usually only detects the most abundant species and fewer substances, with a long purification process limiting its widespread use. Conversely, MS, combined with effective sample preparation and chromatographic separation, offers high sensitivity and specificity, and a good dynamic range. This makes MS, especially high-resolution LC-MS, particularly suitable for both untargeted and targeted metabolomics. As long as a substance can be ionized and detected, it can be analyzed using LC-MS. Therefore, optimized sample preparation conditions, appropriate chromatographic mass spectrometry detection methods, and standardized operating procedures are crucial for successful metabolomics analysis. MtoZ Biolabs' comprehensive standard operating procedures (standard operating procedure, SOP) ensure reliable sample testing.

 

Services at MtoZ Biolabs

1. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

It is commonly used for targeted analysis of water-soluble metabolites (requiring derivatization), some lipids, and organic acids.

 

2. Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS)

LC-MS-based metabolomics includes untargeted metabolomics, targeted metabolomics, untargeted lipidomics, and targeted lipidomics. It is commonly used for targeted and untargeted analysis of water-soluble small molecules such as amino acids, sugars, alcohols, organic acids, amines, and TCA cycle intermediates, as well as large lipid molecules.

 

3. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR)

It is commonly used for substance identification and analysis of simple or purified samples.

 

*Metabolomics analysis can be performed on samples from cells, tissues, organs, or bacteria, in addition to easily processed samples like blood and serum.

• • More Services

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• • Metabolomics Bioinformatic Analysis Service

  High-throughput methods in metabolomics research generate extensive data on metabolite analysis, requiring bioinformatics methods for processing. Bioinformatics analysts at BGI (Beijing Genomics Institute) can deeply explore and comprehensively analyze metabolomics data from raw mass spectrometry data by performing peak alignment, retention time correction, and peak area extraction.

• • High-Throughput Metabolomics Service After Gene Knockout

  Metabolomics offers a unique perspective on biological states by quantitatively measuring intracellular metabolites. As an integral branch of systems biology, it aims to analyze and interpret the comprehensive set of metabolites within organisms. Utilizing core technologies such as Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), precise measurements and comparisons of metabolite fluctuations under various conditions are possible.

• • Targeted Metabolomics Analysis Service

  MtoZ Biolabs offers targeted metabolomics analysis service using an LC-MS-based MRM and GC-MS-based SIM technologies, with high accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity.

• • Untargeted Metabolomics Service

  MtoZ Biolabs offers untargeted metabolomics analysis service using an LC-MS-based MRM and GC-MS-based SIM technologies, with high accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity.