Metabolomics

Metabolomics is a field of research that focuses on the chemical processes undergone by metabolites. It involves the use of sophisticated analytical technologies to identify and quantify cellular metabolites, in addition to the extraction of relevant information so that the data can be interpreted and applied in a practical setting.

Applications of Metabolomics

The field of metabolomics has the potential to be applied in a number of settings to offer practical use. It remains a relatively young field of research and, therefore many of its applications of metabolomics are still only becoming evident. Nonetheless, this article covers some of the present and future ways in which metabolomics could be applied.

Metabolic Changes in Aging Cells

Metabolomic Profiling of an Ancient Herbal Medicine using UHPLC

Analyzing Metabolomics Data

Metabolomics in Clinical Chemistry

Metabolomics in Organ Transplantation

Metabolomic Profiling for Disease Diagnosis

The Metabolome: An Overview

Metabolomic Profiling of Ricin

Metabolomics in Plants

History of Metabolomics

Techniques Used in Targeted Metabolomic Profiling

See more featured articles »

What are Metabolites?

Targeted Metabolomics

Challenges in Targeted Metabolomics

Lipid Metabolism and the Gut Microbiota

Metabolomics in Pharmacology

Latest Metabolomics News and Research

Saliva biomarkers can directly detect acute sleep deprivation

A research team at the University of Zurich (UZH) has discovered biomarkers of sleep loss in saliva. Acute sleep deprivation can be detected using just a single saliva sample.

12 Jun 2026

Popular supplement creatine supercharges critical immune cells fighting cancer

Creatine, the organic acid that is popularly taken as a supplement by athletes and bodybuilders, supercharges a critical class of immune cells that activate and prepare the body's key cancer-fighters, according to new UCLA research.

5 Jun 2026

Untargeted metabolomics approach identifies potential biomarkers for latent tuberculosis diagnosis

Announcing a new article publication in BIO Integration. Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is difficult to diagnose due to the lack of a definitive gold standard.

5 Jun 2026

Understanding mitochondrial biology in alcohol-associated liver disease and cancer

For decades, giant mitochondria-known as megamitochondria-have been recognized in liver biopsies from patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).

1 Jun 2026

Retatrutide reshapes metabolism in obesity and type 2 diabetes, study finds

Retatrutide altered circulating metabolites and lipids linked to fatty acid oxidation and insulin resistance in people with obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes. These biomarker changes suggest improved metabolic health, but the post-hoc analysis remains hypothesis-generating and does not prove direct clinical benefit.

26 May 2026

Blood carotenoids offer the clearest signal of fruit and vegetable eating habits

The review finds that several candidate biomarkers may help estimate fruit and vegetable intake more objectively than self-reported dietary tools, but most remain limited by specificity, sampling burden, supplement use, or incomplete validation. Blood and skin carotenoids appear strongest for habitual intake, while vitamin C, folate, urinary flavonoids, hippuric acid, and potassium may be more useful for short-term intake or intervention adherence.

24 May 2026

The Goldilocks sleep zone: study links too little and too much sleep to biological aging

The Nature study introduces “Sleep Chart,” a framework linking self-reported sleep duration with 23 biological aging clocks derived from MRI, plasma proteomics, and metabolomics. Across UK Biobank participants, the lowest biological age gaps generally appeared between 6.4 and 7.8 hours of sleep, while shorter and longer sleep were associated with higher disease and mortality risk.

14 May 2026

Gut microbes may reveal why diabetes raises heart disease risk

Integrated gut microbiome and plasma metabolomics profiling identified distinct microbial and metabolic signatures in people with T2DM and T2DM-CAD. In a small exploratory cohort, Bacteroides sp._CAG_875 and 12-ketoLCA emerged as candidate markers that may help distinguish diabetic patients with coronary complications, pending larger validation.

13 May 2026

Researchers uncover sex-specific metabolic patterns in ocular tissues

As a highly differentiated sensory organ, the maintenance of the eye's physiological functions relies on rigorous metabolic regulation.

11 May 2026

The BHARAT study: India’s first large-scale search for aging biomarkers

A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on April 24, 2026, titled "The BHARAT study: a multi-modal, multi-omics investigation of aging signatures in the Indian population."

8 May 2026

Natural compound obakulactone shows therapeutic potential for rheumatoid arthritis

A new study published in Engineering reveals that obakulactone (OL), a natural tetracyclic triterpenoid isolated from Phellodendri cortex, exerts a therapeutic effect on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by promoting the degradation of acyl coenzyme A thioesterase 1 (ACOT1) via the ubiquitin‒proteasome pathway and restoring the homeostasis of unsaturated fatty acids.

25 Apr 2026

New AI tools enhance diagnosis and management of kidney disease

Kidney diseases develop slowly and may not produce any obvious symptoms for a long time. The body can compensate for them so effectively that the patient remains unaware of the problem for years.

25 Apr 2026

SARS-CoV-2 rarely reaches first-trimester placentas but still disrupts early pregnancy immunity

Researchers analyzing 761 first-trimester pregnancies found that SARS-CoV-2 was rarely detected in placental tissues, suggesting in utero transmission early in pregnancy is uncommon. However, maternal infection was linked to immune dysregulation at the maternal-fetal interface, altered trophoblast signaling, and inflammatory changes that could affect placental development.

14 Apr 2026

Research aims to identify blood biomarkers for predicting Alzheimer's disease

With a NOK 40 million (approx. €3.5 million) grant, Professor Srdjan Djurovic at the University of Oslo aims to identify early blood-based biomarkers that can predict who is at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

13 Apr 2026

Gut microbiome changes improve memory in early cognitive decline

Research shows that modifying the gut microbiome can enhance cognitive performance and mitigate dementia risk, highlighting the gut-brain connection.

1 Apr 2026

Gut-derived metabolites regulate immune cells in complex ways

Published on March 23, 2026, in Volume 2, article number 18 of the journal Immunity & Inflammation, the review begins by systematically outlining the sources and synthetic pathways of immune-relevant microbial metabolites, including bile acids, short-chain fatty acids, amino acid derivatives, vitamins, trimethylamine/trimethylamine N-oxide, and odd-chain fatty acids.

31 Mar 2026

Terahertz radiation alters metabolism and signaling in melanoma cells

Terahertz (THz) radiation is increasingly explored for biomedical applications, however, its non-thermal effects on cellular metabolism and regulatory networks remain insufficiently characterized.

28 Mar 2026

Experts gather to address evolving food safety risks in Europe

Leading scientists, policymakers, industry representatives and early-career researchers from across Europe will gather on 10-11 June 2026 at Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands) for the joint final conference of the EU-funded HOLiFOOD and FoodSafeR projects.

28 Mar 2026

Machine learning model predicts liver cancer risk with high accuracy

A machine learning model that analyzes patient demographics, electronic health record data, and routine blood test results predicted a patient's risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer, with high accuracy.

26 Mar 2026

Python blood compound could lead to new weight loss therapies

University of Colorado Boulder researchers have discovered an appetite-suppressing compound in python blood that helps the snakes consume enormous meals and go months without eating yet remain metabolically healthy.

19 Mar 2026