Article published IBITEc-s
Searching for metabolites
At IBITEC-S* a platform explores metabolites using ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry. Better knowledge of what they are and how they work will open the way to several applications for pharmaceutical and agri-food industries.
A metabolome is a set of small organic components in a biological or environmental medium. Since the beginning of the 21st century, metabolome analyses have been developed, giving biologists new tools for studying gene function and understanding the dynamics of biological systems. Metabolome components are endogenous or exogenous metabolites, which can be peptides, amino acids, sugars, vitamins, nucleic acids, drugs or any other molecule used and synthesised by a given cell. Research into these metabolites provides critical information for understanding living systems and identifying new biomarkers to diagnose pathologies and monitor therapeutic treatments. All findings are made available to pharmaceutical, agro-food and agro-chemistry companies. The goal is to analyse metabolomes using a global approach, from sample processing to metabolite characterisation. The resulting platform is a first in France. It uses a variety of analytical techniques based on ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography, a bioanalytical tool used for quantifying low molecular weight molecules in biological fluids with ppm-level accuracy and detection limits of a few picograms per millilitre. The laboratory focuses on identifying efficacy and toxicity biomarkers and on developing new detection and quantification methods for recombinant proteins, pharmaceutical drugs and metabolic activity. The applications are diverse and include assessing a drug's toxicity and tracking its metabolism, checking a product's authenticity, and improving industrial processes in the agro-food sector.
*Saclay Institute of Biology and Technologies.
