Metabolomics as a Truly Translational Tool for Precision Medicine

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Toxicology
• Systems Biology

Background:

• Metabolomics offers a unique, versatile approach applicable across various organisms and biological matrices.
• It supports characterization of biological responses and mechanistic studies in both human and model systems.
• Numerous resources, including data repositories and analytical tools, enhance metabolomics research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an introduction to metabolomics in toxicity studies.
• To review translational applications in metabolic networks, biomarker discovery, and integrated pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic frameworks.
• To explore precision medicine applications using untargeted metabolomics data.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature and resources in metabolomics.
• Discussion of translational metabolic networks and biomarker identification.
• Application of high-resolution metabolomics for integrated PK/PD analysis.

Main Results:

• Metabolomics is a readily available translational approach, not just a future promise.
• It facilitates precision medicine by enabling the extraction of actionable targets from complex datasets.
• The review covers diverse applications from toxicity studies to space research.

Conclusions:

• Metabolomics is a mature technology with broad applicability in biological and toxicological research.
• Its translational nature is key to advancing precision medicine and understanding complex biological systems.
• The integration of metabolomics with other omics and analytical techniques offers powerful insights.