Abstract
Metabolomics is one of the latest omics technologies that has been applied successfully in many areas of life sciences. Despite being relatively new, a plethora of publications over the years have exploited the opportunities provided through this data and question driven approach. Most importantly, metabolomics studies have produced great breakthroughs in biomarker discovery, identification of novel metabolites and more detailed characterisation of biological pathways in many organisms. However, translation of the research outcomes into clinical tests and user-friendly interfaces has been hindered due to many factors, some of which have been outlined hereafter. This position paper is the summary of discussion on translational metabolomics undertaken during a peer session of the Australian and New Zealand Metabolomics Conference (ANZMET 2018) held in Auckland, New Zealand. Here, we discuss some of the key areas in translational metabolomics including existing challenges and suggested solutions, as well as how to expand the clinical and industrial application of metabolomics. In addition, we share our perspective on how full translational capability of metabolomics research can be explored.
Highlights
In the last decade a significant amount of data has been generated using metabolomics technologies, resulting in better understanding of the metabolism of many biological systems [1,2,3,4]
In order to successfully translate the results of a metabolomics experiment, one has to start with a robust experimental design followed by data acquisition, data mining and interpretation, and validation of candidate biomarkers
If the results of a study show that a small selection of metabolites, i.e., candidate biomarkers, the results of a studybetween show thatdifferent a small selection of classes, metabolites, candidate biomarkers, can be Ifused to discriminate groups or theni.e., there is a chance that thecan test be used to discriminate between different groups or classes, there is a chance that the test could could be adopted and offered by a commercial testing laboratory
Summary
In the last decade a significant amount of data has been generated using metabolomics technologies, resulting in better understanding of the metabolism of many biological systems [1,2,3,4]. Metabolomics has evolved over the last two decades and is mostly described as the study of metabolites using advanced high throughput analytical approaches and informatics [13,14]. The current spotlight on metabolomics may not last long if we do not drive the field towards applied research that would have a direct positive impact on advancement of industries and welfare of end users [13,28]. These translational opportunities will push metabolomics past an academic exercise and further toward having an impact in the real world. Some recommendations from the metabolomics community regarding different translational opportunities are provided at the end of the paper
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