Senior Director Research and Development Metabolon Morrisville, North Carolina
The presentation will start by introducing the concept of metabolomics: the untargeted measurement of the metabolome, which is composed of the complement of small molecules detected in a biological sample. It will be explained that as a result, metabolomic analysis produces a global biochemical phenotype. The presenter will make the point that metabolomics has been used with great success in discovery research settings for nearly 2 decades. Application in translational and clinical domain (clinical metabolomics) for biomarker analysis or diagnostic purposes has proved more challenging. Nonetheless, there are multiple instances where metabolomics had significant clinical impact. The presenter will introduce examples where this was the case. This will include drug development-related examples, as well the development of a clinical metabolomics platform for the diagnosis of difficult-to-diagnose inborn errors of metabolism, and metabolite-based assays that can function as alternative to the oral glucose tolerance test and euglycemic clamps. Together, these examples will illustrate the underlying themes that made these endeavors successful. Finally, the presenter will complement this with a detailed assessment of the factors limiting a wider use of metabolomics in a clinical setting.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participants will be able to understand what metabolomics is and how it is performed within a clinical setting.
Upon completion, participants will be able appreciate instances where the use of metabolomics brings clinical impact.
Upon completion participants will be able to critically assess technological and practical considerations limiting wider use in translational medicine and the clinic.