Genomics, proteomics and microbiomics are all useful tools in complex disease research. However, using these tools alone can risk critical knowledge gaps and leave researchers struggling to predict disease outcomes.
Metabolomics has the potential to bridge this gap and transform the landscape of complex chronic disease research.
Download this whitepaper to discover:
- The common origins of complex metabolic disease
- Metabolites and pathways that drive chronic conditions
- Metabolomic solutions that can help you understand the pathophysiology of multiple metabolic diseases
Abstract In spite of substantial research funding over the past three decades, the prevalence of complex chronic diseases continues to rise, while efficient therapies and preventive actions remain elusive. This white paper provides a new perspective on complex chronic diseases traditionally studied separately: Alz heimer’s disease, depression, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, and cancer, by examining them through the prism of metabolomics. Metabolism is the missing link to explain the etiology of diseases that genomics alone cannot address. A growing body of evidence pointing to the Western-style diet (WSD), obesity and metabolic disease as risk factors for complex chronic diseases underlines the need for a metabolic perspective in studying these conditions. Rather than viewing it as a consequence of disease, metabolism should be recognized as a driving force of complex chronic diseases. To this end, we have constructed a metabolic model for each disease, beginning with the metabolites supplied by the WSD, their impact on gut microbiome composition, the shift in microbiome-derived metabolites, and their link to the metabolomic profile observed in patients with the disease. These models of priming for complex chronic diseases confirm the significance of the gut microbiome for many conditions, reveal new potential druggable targets, and provide a proof-of-principle for the broader use of metabolomics in the study of complex chronic diseases.
