Bioinformatics in Metabolomics

Introduction to Metabolomics

Metabolomics was developed in the mid-1990s. It is a science that changes the type and quantity of metabolites (endogenous metabolites) after an object is disturbed (after genetic or environmental changes). It is an emerging omics technology after genomics and proteomics, and it is one of the indispensable and important basic disciplines in systems biology research. Metabolomics reveals a series of biological events that reflect the pathophysiological process under the influence of internal and external factors. Through the analysis of metabolomics data, qualitative and quantitative analysis of small molecule metabolites in the organism can be carried out, and the relative relationship between the changes of metabolites and the physiological and biochemical changes of the organism can be found. Using metabolomics, we can mine information about the changes of metabolites in the organism during the occurrence of diseases, as well as the changes in the metabolism of the organism caused by the action of drugs, so as to obtain information about the pathogenesis of the disease, drug metabolism, and pharmacology and toxicology.

CD Genomics provides customers with bioinformatics data analysis services for different metabolomics data. The services we provide include but are not limited to the following: metabolic full spectrum analysis, lipid metabolome analysis, and targeted metabolome analysis.

Fig 1. Metabolomics as a potential alternative to clinical blood test. (Shuzhao L, et al. 2016)

Significance of Metabolomics Data Analysis

• Metabolomics research is in the middle of the flow of biological information, between genes, proteins, cells, and tissues, and plays a role in the transmission of biological information.
• The production and metabolism of small molecules are downstream products of gene expression, and the analysis of metabolites in biological fluids can more directly and accurately reflect the pathophysiological state of the organism.
• There are few types of metabolites, which are much smaller than the data of genes and proteins. The molecular structure of substances is much simpler and the analysis is simpler and clearer.
• The metabolite information database of metabolomics is simple, and it is far less complex than whole-genome sequencing and a large number of expressed sequence tags.
• Effective small changes in gene and protein expression are amplified in metabolites, making detection easier.
• Metabolites are similar in various biological systems, so the technology used in metabolomics research is easier to be used in various fields and easier to be accepted.

Metabolomics Data Analysis Process

Fig 2. An example of CD Genomics' metabolomics data analysis process

Applications of Metabolomics Data in Biomedical Research

• Clinical diagnosis: Use non-targeted metabolomics techniques to compare all metabolites in the control group and the experimental group and look for differences, and then targeted technology is used to detect and analyze specific metabolite groups in a targeted and specific manner, so as to reveal specific metabolite groups related to diseases.
• Etiology and pathological mechanism research: Metabolic network analysis can also be used to understand the biochemical metabolism status in the body, communicate the relationship between biochemical metabolism and disease, and explore and reveal the etiology and pathological mechanism of the disease from related metabolic abnormalities, and also help to discover new drug targets.
• Drug development: Using metabolomics data analysis methods to provide more accurate guidance for the screening and development of new drugs, the study of drug action mechanisms, and drug toxicity evaluation.

What We Offer

CD Genomics focuses on metabolomics bioinformatics data analysis services in the field of precision medicine and health, and is committed to becoming the preferred partner of metabolomics researchers worldwide. CD Genomics has an internationally leading metabolomics analysis technology platform that can provide data analysis services for various animal models, clinical samples, cells, drugs and other disciplines. With leading bioinformatics data processing software and computing platform, it can perform various statistical and bioinformatics analyses on the collected big data. We offer established, cost-efficient and rapid turnaround analysis services for bioinformatics data analysis. The raw input data can be produced from a range of platforms. The data provided can be the raw data just off the machine, or the intermediate data that has been preprocessed. If you have any questions about the data analysis content, turnaround time and price, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to working with you, and we will provide you with satisfactory services.

Our workflow

Reference

1. Shuzhao L, et al. Blood transcriptomics and metabolomics for personalized medicine[J]. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, 2016, 14:1-7.

* For research use only. Not for use in clinical diagnosis or treatment of humans or animals.