Metabolomics technologies have matured over the last 20 years to provide broad and robust pictures of a person’s biology. Combined with an appropriate study design, metabolomics can reveal mechanisms and complex biomarkers that will enable a new generation of care. Thanks to the development of standardized metabolomics, the implementation of this tool in routine diagnostic and prognostic procedures is at our fingertips. Metabolomics also integrates very well with other omics (genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, microbiome…) in multiomics data analysis, providing powerful tools for personalized medicine and population health applications. In this talk, Dr. Alice Limonciel, the chief scientific officer of biocrates, will discuss how metabolomics is leveraged in today’s biomedical research, and the added value of including metabolomics in a multiomics approach.

Currently the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Major Depression (MDD) is based on the subjective reporting of symptoms which are evaluated through clinical interviews. Unfortunately, around 40% of BD patients are initially misdiagnosed as MDD and the average time until a correct diagnosis is achieved is 7.5 – 12 years.
To improve the correct diagnosis of BD, we have developed a two-stage diagnostic approach combining an online questionnaire, which assesses symptoms and demographic patient characteristics, in conjunction with a metabolomics biomarker test using mass spectrometry (MS) on self-collected dried blood spots.
I will also report on findings from a 6- and 12-month follow-up questionnaire and the development of a digital mental health and triage platform, which was developed by the Bahn lab in collaboration with Psyomics Ltd. The platform has now been implemented in numerous NHS trusts.
Funding Stanley Medical Research Institute, Psyomics Ltd.

Colorectal cancer and related premalignant lesions have distinct metabolomic fingerprints. In this presentation, Prof. Bathe will review how that can be leveraged for the purpose of early detection, and how metabolomics could be used to follow therapeutic response.