European Molecular Biology Laboratory - European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Welcome Trust, Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SD, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2015 Jan;15(1):97-109. doi: 10.1586/14737159.2015.974562. Epub 2014 Oct 30.
Small molecules within biological systems provide powerful insights into the biological roles, processes and states of organisms. Metabolomics is the study of the concentrations, structures and interactions of these thousands of small molecules, collectively known as the metabolome. Metabolomics is at the interface between chemistry, biology, statistics and computer science, requiring multidisciplinary skillsets. This presents unique challenges for researchers to fully utilize the information produced and to capture its potential diagnostic power. A good understanding of study design, sample preparation, analysis methods and data analysis is essential to get the right answers for the right questions. We outline the current state of the art, benefits and challenges of metabolomics to create an understanding of metabolomics studies from the experimental design to data analysis.
生物系统中的小分子为研究生物的作用、过程和状态提供了有力的见解。代谢组学研究这些数千种小分子（统称为代谢组）的浓度、结构和相互作用。代谢组学处于化学、生物学、统计学和计算机科学的交叉点，需要多学科的技能。这为研究人员充分利用所产生的信息并挖掘其潜在的诊断能力带来了独特的挑战。深入了解研究设计、样品制备、分析方法和数据分析对于为正确的问题得出正确的答案至关重要。我们概述了代谢组学的最新技术、优势和挑战，以帮助从实验设计到数据分析全面了解代谢组学研究。
