Metabolomics and Analytics Centre

Research projects

An overview of research themes and projects at MAC

Development of Comprehensive and High-throughput metabolomics techniques

A major goal of our research is to overcome one of the major bottlenecks in metabolomic research: the lack of a high-throughput infrastructure in which thousands of samples can be processed in a standardized and cost-effective way (max. a few tens of Euros per sample for a full metabolome profile). The first standardized platforms with limited metabolite numbers have already shown highly relevant associations with diverse health conditions in the epidemiological domain. This creates a real urgency for the high-throughput infrastructure that can profile samples in the translational domain for preventive and clinical research.

Highly sensitive analysis using 3D cell culture model

A research goal for MAC is to develop miniaturized platforms for research in (stem)cell, in-vitro systems and application in clinical and preventive research. Combined with the high throughput, this development will make it possible to study the dynamics of pathogenesis in human and cellular models over time and to determine the effect of pharmacological or life-style interventions in in vitro and in vivo systems. Monitoring metabolic health using minimal invasive sampling will deliver important information during the course and the early onset of diseases.

Clinical applications of (pharmaco)metabolomics

The predication of the effect (efficiency and toxicity) of a drug in a patient is very important in (i) clinical decision support and (ii) the development of novel drug treatments. We apply our technology and methods to find biomarkers for key disease pathways and toxicity in clinical studies and in in-vitro (organ-on-a-chip) and animal models. For example, we try to understand why 30% of diabetic patients develop kidney disease, and why not all patients benefit from pharmacological treatment to prevent kidney disease. This can help to predict the proper treatment of patients (who needs what treatment), and to develop novel pharmacological interventions taking interindividual differences within patients into account.