By Yervand Kondrahjian | Staff Writer
Metabolomics is an omic science within systems biology that involves the global quantitative assessment of endogenous metabolites with a molecular weight of less than 1500 Da within a biological system. This assessment is conducted during metabolism at a specific time and under precise conditions to reflect their responses to internal and external factors. The concept of a “metabolic profile” was first described by Roger Williams in the late 1940s, wherein individuals were said to have their own unique metabolic profile characterized by their body fluids. With advancements in technology, scientists began utilizing metabolites as biomarkers to illustrate the relationship between metabolites and diseases. Recently, metabolomics has provided a new avenue in cancer research, as it allows for the chemical entities to reflect the cellular state and microenvironment of cancer.
Analytical technologies, such as DNA-microarray tests, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and mass spectrometry (MS), have enabled the emergence of “omic sciences.” Depending on the biological level being studied, four main omics fields can be distinguished: genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. These different omic levels are strongly related.
Urine and blood samples are typically collected in clinical metabolomics studies. Sample collection, storage, and processing procedures are critical for conducting successful metabolomics studies. Currently, no single analytical method can measure the concentrations of all metabolites due to their significant chemical diversity. The two dominant metabolomics technologies are NMR and MS coupled with a separation technique.
After collecting metabolomics data with quality control measures in place, the third step is bioinformatics and data analysis. Once the metabolomics data are processed and normalized, they can be statistically analyzed.
Cancer is a disease that alters the metabolism of a cell, and metabolomics approaches are being employed to better understand these changes. Metabolomics allows for further classification of breast cancer, which enables patients to receive more specific personal treatment options. Different metabolites in cancer have been revealed as biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of breast cancer. However, standardized and accepted quality controls and metabolomics databases are still needed to help clinicians understand metabolomics results for it to be successful and broadly applied in clinical settings. Therefore, the application of metabolomics in breast cancer, in particular, is promising despite the current limitations.