Metabolic Profiling

Multivariate (MV) analysis of the multi-component analytical profiles of carefully collected biofluid and/or tissue biopsy specimens provides a 'fingerprint' of their biomolecular/metabolic status and hence, when correctly applied, much valuable information regarding disease indicators, disease strata and sub-strata, and disease activities. These techniques serve as powerful tools for clinical and toxicological research, including drug development, early disease detection, and the stratification of patients into disease or treatment/treatment response sub-classes. They also serve as an extremely valuable means of providing pre-clinical biomarkers of the therapeutic and/or toxicological capacity of newly-developed drugs. Currently, the most informative techniques utilised in such research investigations are high-resolution biomedical Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analysis, and both gas- and liquid-chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS and LC/MS respectively), although vibrational spectroscopy (NIR, MIR and Raman) have also been successfully employed in this area. Such techniques can be employed for the delineation of biomarkers which reflect deviations from 'normal' or healthy metabolism, information which serves to improve our understanding of the toxicological actions of xenobiotics, together with the aetiology and development of a range of disease processes. In this exemplary new book applications of these techniques in the areas of drug therapy and toxicology, cancer, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular, infectious, inflammatory and oral diseases are outlined in detail, with particular reference to cautionary measures which must be applied to the diagnosis and classification of these conditions or physiological criteria.