Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Coupled to Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry in Human Metabolomics

Abstract

Metabolomics is a discipline aiming to characterize a phenotype by means of metabolome analysis. In recent years, it has developed into an accepted and valuable tool in life sciences and its use has been growing rapidly in the study of microbial, plant, and mammalian metabolomes. It has been shown to be an effective tool in characterizing cancer cells and their response to anticancer drugs (Griffiths & Chung, 2008). To assess the effects of drugs on important pathways in clinical trials of innovative therapies, metabolomic approaches might be more cost-effective than those that measure specific molecular targets (Workman et al., 2006). The derived biomarkers applied in early clinical trials are expected to help identify appropriate patients, provide proofs of concepts, aid decision making, and ultimately reduce the high level of attrition and costs of drug development (Sarker & Workman, 2007)