Metabolomics
Metabolomics is the study of the metabolic profile of a given cell, tissue, fluid, organ or organism at a given point in time. The metabolome represents the end products of gene expression. While mRNA gene expression data and proteomic analyses hint at what might be happening in a cell, metabolites and their relative accumulation can indicate what is happening that cell.
Key technologies
- Mass spectrometry particularly gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC MS), and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC MS). In addition, direct-infusion mass spectrometry is becoming increasingly popular, especially for high-resolution techniques such as Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron-resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS).
- High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC).
- Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry
See also: proteomics, glycomics