Abstract
Metabolomics is the study of low molecular weight molecules or metabolites produced within cells and biological systems. It involves technologies such as mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) that can measure hundreds of thousands of unique chemical entities (UCEs). The metabolome provides one of the most accurate reflections of cellular activity at the functional level and can be leveraged to discern mechanistic information during normal and disease states. The advantages of metabolomics over other “omics” include its high sensitivity and ability to enable the analysis of relatively few metabolites compared with the number of genes and messenger RNAs (mRNAs). In clinical samples, metabolites are more stable than proteins or RNA. In fact, metabolomic profiling in basic, epidemiologic, clinical, and translational studies has revealed potential new biomarkers of disease and therapeutic outcome and has led to a novel mechanistic understanding of pathogenesis. These potential biomarkers include novel metabolites associated with cancer initiation, regression, and recurrence. Unlike genomics or even proteomics, however, the degree of metabolite complexity and heterogeneity within biological systems presents unique challenges that require specialized skills and resources to overcome. This article discusses epidemiologic studies of altered metabolite profiles in several cancers as well as challenges in the field and potential approaches to overcoming them.
Highlights
Metabolomics, the study of metabolites produced in the body, has the potential to be useful in identifying novel diagnostic biomarkers and understanding cancer etiology
A prediction model intended to discriminate between breast cancer patients who might respond to treatment from those who would not respond was proposed based on metabolomic profiling [14]
Understanding the metabolic basis of cancer has the potential to provide the foundation for the development of novel approaches targeting tumor metabolism
Summary
Metabolomics, the study of metabolites produced in the body, has the potential to be useful in identifying novel diagnostic biomarkers and understanding cancer etiology. The highest glucose metabolic rate tumor regions had high cellular uptake and phosphorylation rate constants with relatively low blood volume. It is important to note that metabolomic markers themselves are not considered to be tumor-specific, but their altered correlations (representing different pathways) lead to concentrations and patterns of metabolomic intermediates and end products that are specific to either patients or healthy individuals. Both targeted and untargeted (or non-targeted) approaches are applied in metabolomics and epidemiology. Metabolomics is a high-throughput technique that is cost-efficient, fast, and adaptable for epidemiologic studies
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