NMR Metabolic Phenotyping in Clinical Studies

Metabolic phenotyping comprises the determination of the metabolic signatures of biofluids and tissues. Differences in such metabolic profiles permit the stratification of individuals according to underlying biochemical status. This information allows objective assessment of health status including disease risk, diagnosis and prognosis, treatment response, drug metabolism, and toxicity. A key analytical platform used for metabolic phenotyping is nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy due to its robustness, reproducibility, inherent quantitative nature, and capacity to be automated for high throughput. In this article, the main challenges faced in NMR-based metabolic phenotyping studies are explored and the role of phenome centers in the translation of NMR spectroscopy to clinical settings is described.