Agilent Technologies announced at Pittcon 2007 a metabolomics initiative featuring a new website, the new Agilent Metlin personal database and a portfolio of metabolomics systems
The announcement underscores the company's commitment to accelerating metabolomics research.
The site features resources for researchers around the world, including audiocast scientific talks and links to key scientific databases, seminal journal papers and fellow researchers' sites.
One highlight is a virtual metabolomics lab that introduces visitors to each step of the metabolomics research workflow.
In third-quarter 2007, Agilent plans to launch the Agilent Metlin personal database, a customisable, desktop version of the Metlin database.
This dynamic data management resource is used for the characterisation of known metabolites - small molecules produced during such metabolic processes as respiration.
The new database, developed exclusively for Agilent customers in cooperation with San Diego-based Mass Consortium, will aid researchers in attaining a broad perspective on biochemical events beyond proteins, in discovering biomarkers, and in conducting toxicological profiling to better screen compounds.
It features the Metlin database's growing set of approximately 15,000 compounds.
It will be integrated with the Agilent Mass Hunter ChemStation and GeneSpring mass spectrometry products to facilitate automated searches.
"By making the Metlin database easily available to its customer base and thus enabling fast, accurate metabolite identification, Agilent is helping to accelerate the development of the field of metabolomics," said Gary Siuzdak, founder of Mass Consortium.
Agilent's metabolomics product portfolio is composed of optimised systems for each part of the metabolomics workflow, including varying configurations of the company's GC mass spectrometers, such as the Agilent 5975C, announced at Pittcon, the 6000 Series LC mass spectrometers, and the 1200 Series Rapid Resolution LC.
"For researchers in pharmaceutical, biotech, academic/government and agricultural chemistry organisations who need to profile, identify, validate and quantify metabolites, Agilent is a knowledgeable scientific partner that provides the industry's most comprehensive offering of instruments, software, consumables and services," said senior applications chemist Steve Fischer, who heads up Agilent's metabolomics business.
"Agilent provides a more complete set of hardware and software solutions across the entire metabolomics workflow than any other company".
"According to recent market surveys, it's estimated that the metabolomics market will increase in size and revenue from $38 million in 2002 to an estimated $225 million by 2010," said Agilent's Rick Carberry, senior director, LC/MS Marketing.
"Future growth will be driven by biomarker discovery services, the application of bioinformatics/chemometrics, and the development of technology platforms, leading to a market size of over $2 billion by 2012".
Visitors to the new website are invited to participate in a 'Win a Trip to the Agilent Metabolomics Lab' sweepstakes, featuring a grand prize trip to Agilent's headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif, to work with Steve Fischer and colleagues.
The drawing takes place on 15 September 2007.
Glossary of terms.
Metabolites are the intermediates and products of metabolism; the term 'metabolite' is usually restricted to small organic molecules.
Metabolites play vital roles in biological systems: they transport energy, facilitate cellular communication and control, and function as building blocks for other processes.
The comprehensive examination of metabolites is crucial for understanding living systems, whether it is in fundamental biochemistry, disease diagnosis or drug toxicity.
Metabolome refers to the complete set of small-molecule metabolites to be found within a biological sample, such as a single organism.
Metabolomics is the comparative analysis of metabolites found in sets of similar biological samples.
It can identify potential biomarkers, identify effects of drugs or diseases on known biological pathways, or detect effects of drugs or diseases in unexpected biological pathways.
