Metabolomics is an emerging field of “omics” research specializing in the near global analysis of small molecules found in biosystems.

Components of a typical Metabolomics study.

Just as genomics is the study of DNA and genetic information within a cell, and transcriptomics is the study of RNA and differences in mRNA expression; metabolomics is the study of substrates and products of metabolism, which are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.

Where is metabolomics posited in omics filed?

Metabolomics is a powerful approach because metabolites and their concentrations, unlike other “omics” measures, directly reflect the underlying biochemical activity and state of cells/tissues/biosystems. Collectively, these small molecules and their interactions within a biological system are known as the metabolome.Metabolome closely relates to and best represents the molecular phenotype.

Metabolomics is one type of study that focuses on the totality of metabolites in a bio-system.