Analytical Pitfalls and Challenges in Clinical Metabolomics

Abstract

Metabolomics-based strategies have become an integral part of modern clinical research, allowing for a better understanding of pathophysiological conditions and disease mechanisms, as well as providing innovative tools for more adequate diagnostic and prognosis approaches. Metabolomics is considered an essential tool in precision medicine, which aims for personalized prevention and tailor-made treatments. Nevertheless, multiple pitfalls may be encountered in clinical metabolomics during the entire workflow, hampering the quality of the data and, thus, the biological interpretation. This review describes the challenges underlying metabolomics-based experiments, discussing step by step the potential pitfalls of the analytical process, including study design, sample collection, storage, as well as preparation, chromatographic and electrophoretic separation, detection and data analysis. Moreover, it offers practical solutions and strategies to tackle these challenges, ensuring the generation of high-quality data.

Keywords::

• capillary electrophoresis
• clinical metabolomics
• data analysis
• GC
• lipidomics
• LC
• NMR
• MS

Financial & competing interests disclosure

I Kohler is a recipient of a fellowship (P2GEP3_155633) supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Acknowledgements

HS Jónasdóttir is acknowledged for acquisition of the data resulting in Figure 2.

Additional information

Funding

I Kohler is a recipient of a fellowship (P2GEP3_155633) supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.