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Biopharma Preclinical Solutions

Metabolomics Solutions for Drug Development Workflows

Metabolomics is rapidly gaining adoption in drug development, largely due to its ability to discover and validate biomarkers that can help support key decisions throughout the process, from discovery through clinical trials.

Find the Next Big Thing in Drug Discovery

Research scientists are faced with the challenge of making the most out of limited financial resources to select the best candidate biomarkers for clinical validation, while clinical scientists must simultaneously develop and run successful clinical trials while adhering to regulatory guidelines to obtain FDA approval. Swift, accurate biomarker discovery and validation is the cornerstone of drug development and translational research.

Rapidly Identify and Validate Biomarkers

Metabolomics incorporates all elements of a biological system, capturing the phenotypic output resulting from biologic and environmental interactions: the metabolome. Metabolomics is a powerful tool for addressing several challenges in translational research, from linking genome to phenome to optimizing drug development and predicting disease outcomes.

Metabolon’s unparalleled proprietary small molecule database and comprehensive team of experts is uniquely positioned to support your drug development journey from discovery to commercialization.

Rapidly Identify and Validate Biomarkers
Understand your Drug’s Mechanism of Action (MoA)

Understand your Drug’s Mechanism of Action (MoA)

Metabolomics can help clarify your MoA faster by providing deep and unparalleled insights:

  • Correlate changes in levels of highly annotated biochemicals with all other MoA and mechanistic data from your trial, from mid-translation through NDA submission
  • Reveal pleiotropic effects from a majority of targets, including kinases, receptors, apoptosis factors, and immune modulators
  • Provide a unique and comprehensive view of biochemical pathways to identify alterations that directly influence outcomes
“Given the critical role of metabolic reprogramming, it is not surprising that targeting metabolism is now an active area of antifibrotic drug discovery…. We found that IM156 had profound metabolic effects and robust antifibrotic activity in the [murine] lung at plasma exposures that are clinically relevant and were well tolerated in humans.”

WILLETTE ET AL. 2021

Clarify Real-time Phenotypic Response

Metabolomics can clarify ambiguities by letting you see the effect your drug has on a patient:

  • Measure small-molecule biomarkers that are the result of a real-time response to your drug
  • Provide deeper insights into precise biomarkers and MoA for disease instead of broad enzymatic activity that regulates a class of molecules
  • Understand systemic alterations from drug treatment, providing a multi-organ snapshot of the effect your drug has on each patient
Clarify Real-time Phenotypic Response
Trust your Human Translational Models

Trust your Human Translational Models

Metabolomics can help build confidence in the predictability of your model:

  • Show data-backed translatability of biomarkers using small-molecule homology from preclinical to clinical models
  • Develop a clear phenotypic fingerprint of your MoA by engaging global untargeted biochemical profiling that can extend beyond a single endpoint, as metabolism is structurally and functionally conserved across mammals

Confirm your Genomic, RNA-Seq, and Protein Data

Metabolomics can add invaluable insight to your other data streams:

  • Verify pathway data from mouse models, proteomics data from cytokine measurements and even intra-arterial chemotherapy flow data for immunology-based research
  • Add an additional layer of information to enrich the validity of your current data
Confirm your Genomic, RNA-seq, and Protein Data

Partner with Metabolon

We are with you every step of the drug development process, from discovery to the clinic. Each project begins with a scientist-to-scientist consultation to determine your assay needs, including regulatory requirements and project timeline. We explore how to best meet your needs through existing assays, custom-developed assays, or a combination.

In-depth institutional knowledge of metabolic pathways, along with our deep expertise in metabolite-based mass spectrometry, guides the selection of candidate biomarkers. The focus is on ensuring that the critical aspects of subsequent studies or trials are clearly defined and that the assays and multiplexing scheme most effectively meet your needs.

See how Metabolon can advance your path to preclinical and clinical insights

Why Metabolon?

Once you see the full value of metabolomics, the only remaining question is who does it best? While many laboratories have metabolite profiling or analytical chemistry capabilities, comprehensive metabolomics technologies are extremely rare. Accurate, unbiased metabolite identification across the entire metabolome introduces signal-to-noise challenges that very few labs are equipped to handle. Also, translating massive quantities of data into actionable information is slow, if not impossible, for most because proper interpretation takes two things that are in short supply: experience and a comprehensive database.

Only Metabolon has all four core metabolomics capabilities

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Coverage

Ability to interrogate thousands of metabolites across diverse biochemical space, revealing new insights and opportunities

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Comparability

Ability to integrate the data from different studies into the same dataset, in different geographies, among different patients over time

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Competency

Ability to inform on proper study design, generate high‐quality data, derive biological insights, and make actionable recommendations

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Capacity

Ability to process hundreds of thousands of samples quickly and cost‐efficiently to service rapidly growing demand

Partner with Metabolon to access:

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A library of 5,400+ known metabolites, 2,000 in human plasma, all referenced in the context of biochemical pathways

  • That’s 5x the metabolites of the closest competitor
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Unparalleled depth and breadth of experience analyzing and interpreting metabolomic data to find meaningful results

  • 10,000+ projects with hundreds of clients
  • 2,000+ publications covering 500 diseases, including numerous peer-reviewed journals such as Cell, Nature and Science
  • Nearly 40 PhDs in data science, molecular biology, and biochemistry

Using our robust platform and visualization tools, our experts are uniquely able to tell you more about your molecule and develop assay panels to help you zero in on the results you need.

Contact Us

Talk with an expert

Request a quote for our services, get more information on sample types and handling procedures, request a letter of support, or submit a question about how metabolomics can advance your research.

Corporate Headquarters

617 Davis Drive, Suite 100
Morrisville, NC 27560

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 110407
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

+1 (919) 572-1721