Metabolomics and lipidomics are rapidly advancing fields that have transformed our understanding of biological processes at the molecular level. Yet, designing an appropriate workflow and selecting from the many available analytical options can be challenging [1]. Since 2018, the Metabolomics Core Facility at the Institute of Physiology CAS (https://metabolomics.fgu.cas.cz) has offered fee-based services for analyzing polar metabolites, complex lipids, and exposome compounds (including drugs) in biological materials [2]. The scope of these services has steadily expanded, with approximately 5,000 samples analyzed annually using a multiplatform liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) approach. This lecture will present the current untargeted LC–MS platforms (LIMeX workflow) and introduce upcoming platforms. We will also discuss common pitfalls related to study design, metabolome coverage, and statistical analysis.

References:

[1] Rakusanova & Cajka, Trends Anal Chem 180 (2024) 117940 (doi: 10.1016/j.trac.2024.117940)

[2] Cajka et al., Int J Mol Sci 324 (2023) 1987 (doi: 10.3390/ijms24031987)

IPHYS contact person: doc. Ing. Tomáš Čajka, Ph.D., Laboratory of Translational Metabolism, Metabolomics department, tomas.cajka@fgu.cas.cz