Methodologies for Metabolomics: Experimental Strategies and Techniques

Description

Metabolomics, the global characterisation of the small molecule complement involved in metabolism, has evolved into a powerful suite of approaches for understanding the global physiological and pathological processes occurring in biological organisms. The diversity of metabolites, the wide range of metabolic pathways and their divergent biological contexts require a range of methodological strategies and techniques. Methodologies for Metabolomics provides a comprehensive description of the newest methodological approaches in metabolomic research. The most important technologies used to identify and quantify metabolites, including nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry, are highlighted. The integration of these techniques with classical biological methods is also addressed. Furthermore, the book presents statistical and chemometric methods for evaluation of the resultant data. The broad spectrum of topics includes a vast variety of organisms, samples and diseases, ranging from in vivo metabolomics in humans and animals to in vitro analysis of tissue samples, cultured cells and biofluids.

Norbert W. Lutz is Research Professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Aix-Marseille, France. He has previously held positions at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the German Cancer Research Center, the University of Arizona Cancer Center and other internationally renowned research institutions. His research is primarily focused on the analysis of metabolic processes in cancer and in neurological diseases. His papers have appeared in Analytical Chemistry, Annals of Neurology, PLoS ONE, International Journal of Cancer, AIDS, Metabolomics, NMR in Biomedicine and other journals. Jonathan V. Sweedler is the James R. Eiszner Family Professor of Chemistry and the Director of the School of Chemical Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. His major research efforts involve developing new approaches for small-volume peptidomics and metabolomics and the application of these technologies to study novel neuro-chemical pathways. Professor Sweedler has published more than 350 manuscripts, book chapters and reviews and has presented 350 invited lectures relate to research in these areas. He is Editor-in-Chief of Analytical Chemistry. Ron Wevers is head of the laboratory of Genetic Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands. He has a chair in Clinical Chemistry of Inborn Errors of Metabolism. Professor Wevers is also a member of the Dutch Health Council. He has co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed papers and many book chapters and wrote a handbook on body fluid NMR spectroscopy in patients with inborn errors of metabolism.