After successful completion of the course, students are able to identify metabolomic questions in basic and applied research and quality control. The learning goal is to know different metabolomic strategies and choose the appropriate strategy for diverse questions. Students will be able to design different metabolomic experiments and theoretically apply sample preparation and analyses and bioinformatic analyses. This includes knowledge of metabolite extraction from biological matrices, separation techniques, such aschromatography (LC, GC, TLC), (tandem) mass spectrometry (MS/MS), ion mobility (IMS) and LC-(IMS)-MS/MS of for identification, characterisation and quantification and functional annotation of metabolites. Moreover, students will learn to apply statistical tools to metabolomic data to calculate significant quantitative changes.

Metabolomic strategies and methods: definition of research question, different sample preparation methods, identification, quantitation and annotation of metabolites, structural characterisation of metabolites,high-through-put technologies, (tandem) mass spectrometry, ion mobility, liquid/gas chromatography, bioinformatic tools

Lecture with practical exercises (e.g. manual MS/MS spectrum interpretation, usage of webtools)

presentation and discussion of examples of metabolomic applications

Continuous assessment, presence explicitly encouraged

Presentation and discussion of a metabolomics application example

Copies of the ppt-slides will be available via TISS.

Knowledge of biochemistry and instrumental analytical chemistry is essential. Instrumental bioanalytics is recommended.