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.

What are Metabolites?

History of Metabolomics

Analyzing Metabolomics Data

Targeted Metabolomics

Metabolomics in Plants

Challenges in Targeted Metabolomics

The Metabolome: An Overview

Metabolomics in Organ Transplantation

Metabolomics in Clinical Chemistry

Metabolomics in Pharmacology

Metabolic Changes in Aging Cells

See more featured articles »

Metabolomic Profiling for Disease Diagnosis

Techniques Used in Targeted Metabolomic Profiling

Metabolomic Profiling of an Ancient Herbal Medicine using UHPLC

Metabolomic Profiling of Ricin

Lipid Metabolism and the Gut Microbiota

Latest Metabolomics News and Research

Redefining health science in the age of exposomics

We live in the age of -omics. We have genomics to study complete sets of DNA. We have proteomics focused on all the proteins within our cells.

13 Jun 2025

Yellow pigment linked to protection against severe malaria

New research suggests that a pigment that causes yellowing of the skin, or jaundice, may help protect people from the most severe consequences of malaria.

13 Jun 2025

Scientists discover hundreds of new metabolites linked to the human microbiome

Human metabolism is a complex web of chemical processes and interactions between our cells and the microbes living within us.

10 Jun 2025

Small weight loss leads to big gains in heart health

Even without weight loss, healthy lifestyle changes enhance heart health. This study highlights the importance of habits for cardiometabolic improvement.

9 Jun 2025

New study warns of long-term risks from fecal microbiota transplants

Fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) have been touted as a potential treatment for a variety of conditions, from inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, and type 2 diabetes to autism.

6 Jun 2025

Maternal exposure to metals rewires infants’ gut and resistance genes

Prenatal exposure to trace elements like selenium, copper, and arsenic can significantly alter the infant gut microbiome, metabolism, and antibiotic resistance gene patterns. These changes appear as early as three months and evolve during the first year of life.

5 Jun 2025

Fine particulate matter exposure may alter pregnancy outcomes

A new study by Emory University researchers, published Thursday in Environmental Science & Technology, found that exposure to the tiny particles in air pollution during pregnancy can disrupt maternal metabolisms, altering key biological pathways.

3 Jun 2025

Review shows how extra virgin olive oil transforms heart health

Regular consumption of extra virgin olive oil is linked to lower cardiovascular disease risk, improving heart health through its rich polyphenol content.

2 Jun 2025

Machine learning tool identifies metabolic clues in colorectal cancer

Scientists aiming to advance cancer diagnostics have developed a machine learning tool that is able to identify metabolism-related molecular profile differences between patients with colorectal cancer and healthy people.

22 May 2025

Metabolite profiles in spinal fluid predict mortality in tuberculous meningitis

Radboudumc researchers Kirsten van Abeelen, Edwin Ardiansyah, Sofiati Dian, Vinod Kumar, Reinout van Crevel and Arjan van Laarhoven used metabolomics to study cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from tuberculous meningitis patients in Vietnam and Indonesia, with long-standing collaborators from Bandung and Jakarta (Indonesia), the Broad Institute (Boston) and the Oxford University Research Unit in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).

22 May 2025

Unlocking the secrets of human longevity and healthy aging

Human healthy aging and longevity are complex phenomena influenced by a dynamic interplay of genetic, epigenetic, metabolic, immune, and environmental factors.

22 May 2025

Blood and urine tests reveal how much ultra-processed food you really eat, study finds

Researchers developed and validated blood and urine metabolite scores that objectively measure ultra-processed food (UPF) intake in adults. These biomarker profiles accurately distinguished between high- and low-UPF diets and may transform nutrition research and public health monitoring.

21 May 2025

NIH researchers develop poly-metabolite score to measure ultra-processed food intake

For the first time, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified patterns of metabolites in blood and urine that can be used as an objective measure of an individual's consumption of energy from ultra-processed foods.

20 May 2025

New stem cell model replicates human amniotic sac development

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have developed a new stem cell model of the mature human amniotic sac, which replicates development of the tissues supporting the embryo from two to four weeks after fertilization.

15 May 2025

Multiple laboratory techniques can provide a wealth of knowledge about brain cancer

Clinicians from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and four other institutions have demonstrated that doctors can gain a wealth of knowledge about a patient's cancer by using multiple laboratory techniques to study tumor tissue taken from needle biopsies of glioblastoma, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer.

14 May 2025

Adverse waist-to-height ratio trajectories during childhood linked to early cardiometabolic risk

New research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, Spain (11-14 May) reveals that adverse waist-to-height ratio trajectories (a marker for central obesity) during childhood may increase cardiometabolic and cardiovascular risk at 10 years old.

11 May 2025

New tool uses eight health metrics to track biological aging

A novel health-assessment tool uses eight metrics derived from a person's physical exam and routine lab tests to characterize biological age.

6 May 2025

A decade of discovery in the science of healthy aging and human longevity

It's notable when a scientific study reaches the decade mark, but when the topic is the healthy aging of people who have lived 10 times as long, it just means there's still a lot more to learn.

5 May 2025

Gut bacteria and metabolites reveal depression-linked patterns in older adults

A cross-sectional study of 400 older adults with metabolic syndrome reveals that individuals with depression have distinct gut microbiota and metabolite profiles. Eight bacterial genera and 15 fecal metabolites were significantly associated with depression, suggesting a gut-brain axis link.

29 Apr 2025

Obesity changes how the gut responds to plant compounds, researchers report

Researchers found that the impact of polyphenols rutin and genistein on the human fecal metabolome varies significantly by body mass index (BMI). Lower BMI individuals showed more diverse metabolic responses, revealing how gut health and obesity could shape polyphenol metabolism.

28 Apr 2025