What is Metabolomics?
For those who've just read about proteomics above, no prizes for guessing that the "metabolome" comprises all the "metabolites" in a particular thing under consideration (e.g. individual, organ or body fluid) and "metabolomics" is the study of as many of those metabolites as practicable. The term metabolites covers a whole range of small molecules including those formed from breakdown of food (i.e. "metabolism" ), hormones and drugs.
Just like proteomics and protein chemistry, metabolomics can be viewed as a technologically revolutionised form of metabolic biochemistry. Likewise, mass spectrometry plays a key role as does another type of instrument called an NMR spectrometer . In another guise, such instruments are used medically for MRI scans (i.e. magnetic resonance imaging). And again, bioinformatics plays a crucial role in metabolomics, both for sorting out the metabolite information and linking it with proteome and genome data.
Metabolomics provides scientists with several benefits that are both powerful in themselves and complementary to those of proteomics. Through its link with the varied and dynamic nature of metabolism, metabolomics offers a very sensitive fingerprint for the status of a biological system (e.g. whether it is healthy or diseased or laden with performance-enhancing drugs).
Because metabolites are commonly produced through the actions of several different proteins, metabolomics can often measure effects not visible to proteomics. And metabolomics works well on medically accessible body fluids such as blood, urine and saliva – for proteomics such specimens remain challenging due to the extremely wide range of protein concentrations present. Being spoilt by riches is a current challenge for metabolomics – the experiments produce so much information it can cause headaches trying to make sense of it all.