The Metabolomist podcast

biocrates life sciences

In this interview podcast you can learn how scientists and entrepreneurs create the future of metabolomics. Learn about their struggles, stresses and successes to shape the story of metabolomics as it is today and what they believe about the future of the field.

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32 episodes
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Episodes32

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Today · 54 min
Robust experimental designs & global communities
Vinicius Verri Hernandes He is a Senior Scientist at The Global Exposomics & Biomonitoring Laboratory](https://exposomics.univie.ac.at/team/)) at the University of Vienna, Austria. Community-driven projects discussed in this episode include the exposome spectral library ExpoLib](https://zenodo.org/records/20715576)), the Cooperative Health Research in South Tyrol study and the CHRIS portal](https://chrisportal.eurac.edu/chris-study)), the European infrastructure for human exposome (EIRENE)](https://eirene.eu/)) and its Austrian node Exposome Austria](https://exposome.at/)), the IHEN ambassador](https://humanexposome.net/news/global-ambassadors-trained-exposome-research/)) network and of course the soon-to-be Brazilian metabolomics community currently growing on the Portal Metabolômica Brasil](https://www.portalmetabobr.com.br/en)) and its Youtube channel with metabolomics resources in Portuguese. ](mailto:https://www.youtube.com/@portalmetabolomicabrasil). ) Favorite metabolite Cotinine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotinine)), a product of nicotine metabolism that tells a lot about our lifestyle. Papers discussed in this episode Verri Hernandes, Dordevic, Hantikainen et al. 2022 Metabolites | Age, Sex, Body Mass Index, Diet and Menopause Related Metabolites in a Large Homogeneous Alpine Cohort ](https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/12/3/205) ) Verri Hernandes et al. 2025 Environment International | Dried blood spots analysis for targeted and non-targeted exposomics](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025005653)) Complement this episode with Alice’s perspective on the role of industry in the exposome community at the latest Global Exposome Forum](https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=066d5d7abe2de2d5e04d214bf&id=7e840f7434)) Virtual Townhall panel discussion. To learn more about the relevance of dried blood spots, revisit our episodes on clinical metabolomics with Julie Courraud](https://themetabolomist.com/clinical-metabolomics/)) and physical markers of mental illness with Sabine Bahn. ](https://themetabolomist.com/physical-markers-treatment-of-mental-illness/). ) Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available – Alice’s book on metabolomics data interpretation The STORY principle – A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics
July 7 · 42 min
Data quality & enabling research | Matthew Lewis
Matthew Lewis He is Vice President for Metabolomics & Lipidomics at Bruker, where he leads a team working on the development of solutions for small molecule bioanalysis. Matt also served as Chief Operations Officer at the National Phenome Center in the UK and has been a member of metabolomics quality assurance and quality control consortium (mQACC). Favorite metabolite Cystine The disulfide derived from the amino acid cysteine, but also a biomarker for one of the first inborn errors of metabolism described. Learn more in the episode! Papers discussed in the episode Lewis et al. 2022 Chemrxiv pre-print | An Open Platform for Large Scale LC-MS-Based Metabolomics Sands et al. 2021 Anal Chem | Representing the Metabolome with High Fidelity: Range and Response as Quality Control Factors in LC-MS-Based Global Profiling Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available – Alice’s book on metabolomics data interpretation The STORY principle – A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics
June 2 · 53 min
Computational metabolomics & community-driven tools | Justin van der Hooft
Justin van der Hooft He is Assistant Professor at Wageningen University, where he leads a team working on computational metabolomics. Communities mentioned in this episode include the Early-Career Members Network (EMN)](https://metabolomicssociety.org/membership/early-career-members-network/)) of the Metabolomics society and their webinar series](https://metabolomicssociety.org/resources/multimedia/emn-webinars-2025/)), the Benelux metabolomics community and their Benelux Metabolomics Days](https://www.aanmelder.nl/beneluxmetabolomicsdays2026)), and the Dagstuhl seminar 26181](https://www.dagstuhl.de/en/seminars/seminar-calendar/seminar-details/26181)) on computational metabolomics. Favorite metabolite Geosmin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geosmin)) The metabolite responsible for the earthy smell after rain, produced by bacteria, in particular Streptomyces. Learn more in the episode! Papers discussed in the episode van der Hooft et al. 2016 PNAS | [Topic modeling for untargeted substructure exploration in metabolomics]. (https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1608041113)) Torres Ortega et al. 2025 bioRxiv | Large Scale Discovery and Annotation of Hidden Substructure Patterns in Mass Spectrometry Profilesand](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.19.659491v2)and) the MS2LDA tool. ](https://www.ms2lda.org/). ) Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available – Alice’s book on metabolomics data interpretation The STORY principle – A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics
May 4 · 43 min
Citizen science & the vaginal microbiome | Caroline Dricot
Caroline Dricot Researcher at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, where she contributed to the ISALA project a pioneering citizen-science project that became the largest study on the vaginal microbiome in the world with sister projects in as many as 20 countries along with significant international recognition. Favorite metabolite Riboflavin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riboflavin)) Also known also as vitamin B2, is a vitamin found in food and sold as a dietary supplement. It is essential to the formation of two major coenzymes, flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide. These coenzymes are involved in energy metabolism, cellular respiration, and antibody production, as well as normal growth and development. Paper discussed in the episode Dricot et al. 2025 pre-print bioRxiv | Vitamin B2 Production by Vaginal Lactobacilli Promotes Symbiosis](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.28.684342v1)) Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available – Alice’s book on metabolomics data interpretation The STORY principle – A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics
April 2 · 42 min
Birth cohorts & early-life exposome readouts | Lea Maitre
Léa Maitre Assistant Research Professor at ISGlobal](https://www.isglobal.org/en/our-team/-/profiles/18762)), the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, and coordinates the Exposome Hub](https://www.isglobal.org/en/exposome-hub)) initiative, promoting innovation, collaboration and communication about exposomics. Favorite metabolite Neurosteroids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurosteroid)) Neurosteroids, also known as neuroactive steroids, are endogenous or exogenous steroids that rapidly alter neuronal excitability through interaction with ligand-gated ion channels and other cell surface receptors. Paper discussed in the episode Multi-omics signatures of the human early life exposome](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-34422-2)) Léa Maitre, Mariona Bustamante et al. 2022 Nature Communications The work presented in this publication was part of the HELIX project](https://www.isglobal.org/en/-/helix-the-human-early-life-exposome-novel-tools-for-integrating-early-life-environmental-exposures-and-child-health-across-europe)), coordinated by Martine Vrijheid from 2013 to 2017. Initiatives discussed in this episode IHEN](https://humanexposome.net/)) – The International Human Exposome Network. Learn more about IHEN’s exposome ambassadors](https://humanexposome.net/news/global-ambassadors-trained-exposome-research/)) and about IHEN’s cohort catalogue. Global Exposome Summit](https://www.globalexposomesummit.org/)) – Event taking place on April 27-29, 2026 in Sitges, Spain and dedicated to fostering international collaborations in exposomics. Organized by IHEN and the Global Exposome Forum. ](https://globalexposomeforum.org/). ) Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available – Alice’s book on metabolomics data interpretation The STORY principle – A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics
Sep 3, 2025 · 44 min
Building community & navigating publishing | María Eugenia Monge
María Eugenia Monge She is an Independent Researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina CONICET](https://cibion.conicet.gov.ar/ms/)). She is a founding member of the Latin American Metabolic Profiling Society LAMPS](https://jwist.github.io/lamps/)) and a member of the Metabolomics Quality Assurance and Quality Control Consortium mQACC](https://www.mqacc.org/)). Favorite metabolite Glucose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose)) It is the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is made from water and carbon dioxide during photosynthesis by plants and most algae. Learn more in the episode! Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available – Alice’s book on metabolomics data interpretation The STORY principle – A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics
Aug 4, 2025 · 58 min
Democratizing healthcare & participatory medicine | Anne Bendt
Anne Bendt Deputy Director](https://www.lsi.nus.edu.sg/corp/principal-investigators-4/dr-anne-k-bendt/)) and Principal Investigator at Singapore Lipidomics Incubator SLING](https://www.sling.sg/)), Life Sciences Institute in Singapore. Favorite metabolite Tuberculostearic acid](https://www.hmdb.ca/metabolites/HMDB0004085)) A long-chain fatty acid produced by the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis, and investigated as a potential diagnostic biomarker of the disease and drug target. Learn more about tuberculostearic acid in the episode! Papers discussed On clinical metabolomics | Fux et al. 2024 A global perspective on the status of clinical metabolomics in laboratory medicine - a survey by the IFCC metabolomics working group](https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/cclm-2024-0550/html)) Clin Chem Lab Med. On PFAS and lipidomics | Narasimhan et al. 2024 Integrated analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and plasma lipidomics profiles in multi-ethnic Asian subjects for exposome research](https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-024-01145-4)) Environmental Health Additional resources Learn more about the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Metabolomics working group](https://ifcc.org/ifcc-emerging-technologies-division/etd-working-groups/wg-m/)) and the International Lipidomics Society (ILS)-driven ceramides ring trial | Torte et al. 2024 Concordant inter-laboratory derived concentrations of ceramides in human plasma reference materials via authentic standards](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52087-x)) Nature Communications Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available – Alice’s book on metabolomics data interpretation The STORY principle – A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics
Jul 1, 2025 · 11 min
Favorite metabolites of Metabolomist listeners | Metabolomics 2025 feature
Across these recordings, you will hear about the small molecules and lipids that make the hearts of ten Metabolomists beat for their research. A big thank you to all the contributors! Make sure to let them know that you share their passion for their favorite metabolite by connecting with them through the links below. Metabolomist´s favorite metabolites A great thank you to all contributors, namely IDomenica Berardi Paula Darwin Hagen Gegner Alena Langová Malena Manzi Federico Padilla Elliot James Price Silvia Radenkovic Laura Rosina Torres Ortega Thi Tran Ngoc Minh
Jun 2, 2025 · 42 min
Exposomics & 5P medicine | Gary Miller
Gary Miller, PhD is Professor of Environmental Health Sciences (in Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics) and Vice Dean for Research Strategy and Innovation at Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA Favorite metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL) A toxic intermediate in the metabolism of dopamine linked to the damage to dopamine neurons in Parkinson’s disease. Paper discussed in the episode Zhao et al. Neurology 2024 | Association of Coffee Consumption and Prediagnostic Caffeine Metabolites With Incident Parkinson Disease in a Population-Based Cohort Learn more about the outcomes of the Banbury conference on exposome in the Science paper, including the newly unified definition of the exposome. Read the Washington Declaration established and signed at the Exposome Moonshot forum in May 2025, a few days after recording the episode. Follow the progress of the Exposome Moonshot. Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available – Alice’s book on metabolomics data interpretation The STORY principle – A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics
May 5, 2025 · 49 min
Plant metabolism & community-driven software | Tomáš Pluskal
Dr. Tomáš Pluskal is leading the Biochemistry of Plant Specialized Metabolites research group at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Favorite metabolite Aconitine, not only a poisonous metabolite synthesized by the Monkshood plant, but also a diterpene alkaloid with a chemical structure so intricate that humans still haven’t managed to synthesize it. Papers discussed in the episode Pluskal et al. Nature Plants 2019 The biosynthetic origin of psychoactive kavalactones in kava Additional resources Learn more about MZmine, the software co-developed by Tomáš Pluskal. Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available – Alice’s book on metabolomics data interpretation The STORY principle – A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics
Mar 31, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
Dietary intervention & precision medicine | Cristina Legido-Quigley
Dr. Cristina Legido-Quigley serves as a Reader in Systems Medicine at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, where she leads research in neurometabolism and disease coping mechanisms. Additionally, she is the Head of the Systems Medicine research group at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, focusing on personalized medicine in diabetes and metabolic diseases. Favorite metabolite Sphingomyelins are important in neuronal function, generally higher in women than men, and depleted in liver disease. Papers discussed in the episode Lipidomics and obesity | Huang et al. Nature 2024 Lipid profiling identifies modifiable signatures of cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents with obesity Lipidomics and Alzheimer’s disease in women | Wretlind et al. MedRxiv 2025 Lipid profiling reveals a deficit of lipids with unsaturated fatty acids in women with Alzheimer’s disease Additional resources Lipids in different body parts | Al-Sari et al. PLOSone 2020 Lipidomics of human adipose tissue reveals diversity between body areas Baker Institute Lipidomics PheWeb | Genetic associations with the human lipidome discussed in the episode Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Alices first book The STORY principle - A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics Also featuring some of the Metabolomists from Season 1 Available on Amazon and the biocrates webshop
Sep 3, 2024 · 45 min
Bacterial metabotypes & the medicine of tomorrow | Audrey Le Gouellec
Dr Audrey Le Gouellec is an Associate Professor and Hospital Practitioner in clinical biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine, Université Grenoble Alpes and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble Alpes. Learn more about her work at CHU Grenoble. Favorite metabolite [Spermidine (https://biocrates.com/spermidine-metabolite/) & hypusine(https://hmdb.ca/metabolites/HMDB0011140)] Papers we discussed in this episode [Metabotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Correlate with Antibiotic Resistance, Virulence and Clinical Outcome in Cystic Fibrosis Chronic Infections Moyne et al. 2021 Metabolites] (https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/11/2/63) What clinical metabolomics will bring to the medicine of tomorrow [Le Gouellec et al. 2023 Mini review Frontiers in Analytical Science (https://doi.org/10.3389/frans.2023.1142606)] [More about the Fibrotest(https://www.biopredictive.com/products/fibrotest-actitest/) discussed in this episode] Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Alices first book The STORY principle - A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics Also featuring some of the Metabolomists from Season 1 Available on Amazon and the biocrates webshop
Aug 6, 2024 · 42 min
Metabolomic epidemiology & childhood obesity | Sandi Azab
Sandi M Azab is Research Associate at McMaster University Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact in Canada. Learn more about her work here. Connect with her here. Favorite metabolite Pentadecanoic acid (FA 15:0 or C15:0) Papers we discussed in this episode [Early sex-dependent differences in metabolic profiles of overweight and adiposity in young children: a cross-sectional analysis] (https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-023-02886-8) Systematic review discussed in the episode A systematic review of metabolomic studies of childhood obesity: State of the evidence for metabolic determinants and consequences Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Alices first book The STORY principle - A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics Also featuring some of the Metabolomists from Season 1 Available on Amazon and the biocrates webshop
Jul 2, 2024 · 37 min
Phenomics & Microbiome | Marc-Emmanuel Dumas
Marc-Emmanuel Dumas is Chair in Systems Medicine at the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction of the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London in the UK and CNRS Director of Research and group leader at U1283/UMR8199 at the European Genomic Institute for Diabetes in Lille, France. Favorite metabolite Phenylacetic acid (PAA) Learn more about his work: Systems Medicine Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction - Faculty of Medicine Papers we discussed in this episode [Molecular phenomics and metagenomics of hepatic steatosis in non-diabetic obese women] (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-018-0061-3) Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Alices first book The STORY principle - A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics Also featuring some of the Metabolomists from Season 1 Available on Amazon and the biocrates webshop
Jun 4, 2024 · 34 min
Aging fluidity & omics signatures | Vadim Gladyshev
Vadim Gladyshev is a Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Favorite metabolite Selenocysteine Discover more about the of his team: Gladyshev Lab Papers we discussed in this episode Biological age is increased by stress and restored upon recovery Organization of the Mammalian Metabolome according to Organ Function, Lineage Specialization, and Longevity Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Alices first book The STORY principle - A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics Also featuring some of the Metabolomists from Season 1 Available on Amazon and the biocrates webshop
May 7, 2024 · 38 min
Physical markers & treatment of mental illness | Sabine Bahn
Sabine Bahn MD, PhD, is a practicing psychiatrist and a professor of Neurotechnology at the University of Cambridge in the UK. She is Head of the Cambridge Center for Neuropsychiatric Research and co-founder of the company Psyomics. Favorite metabolite Ceramide Learn more about her work: Cambridge Centre for Neuropsychiatric Research Sabine's company Psyomics Paper we discussed in this episode Metabolomic Biomarker Signatures for Bipolar and Unipolar Depression Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Alices first book The STORY principle - A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics Also featuring some of the Metabolomists from Season 1 Available on Amazon and the biocrates webshop
Apr 9, 2024 · 49 min
Personalized medicine & survival prediction | Robert Nagourney
Robert Nagourney MD, is Medical and Laboratory Director of The Nagourney Cancer Institute in Long Beach, California, Associate Clinical Professor, at University of California Irvine and founder and CEO of Metabolomycs, Inc. He is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology. Favorite metabolite Glutamine Learn more about his work: Nagourney Cancer Institute Metabolomycs TEDx talk Paper we discussed in this episode Ovarian cancer | Platinum resistance in gynecologic malignancies: Response, disease free and overall survival are predicted by biochemical signature: A metabolomic analysis Pancreatic cancer | Diagnostic and Prognostic Performance of Metabolic Signatures in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: The Clinical Application of Quantitative NextGen Mass Spectrometry Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Alices first book The STORY principle - A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics Also featuring some of the Metabolomists from Season 1 Available on Amazon and the biocrates webshop
Oct 3, 2023 · 1 hr 3 min
Early career scientist episode : Vitamins & metabolic syndrome | Haley Chatelaine
Haley Chatelaine s a post-doctoral fellow at the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS, USA) Favorite metabolite Cytosine - but also Vitamin D Paper we discussed in this episode Paper on the absorption of fat soluble vitamins in patients with metabolic syndrome | Vitamin A and D Absorption in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome versus Healthy Controls: A Pilot Study Utilizing Targeted and Untargeted LC–MS Lipidomics Learn more about MANA-ECM Let Arpana Vaniya and Nicole Prince know you appreciate their effort to promote the (net)work of early career scientists as much as we do! Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available - Alices first book The STORY principle - A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics Also featuring some of the Metabolomists from Season 1 Available on Amazon and the biocrates webshop
Sep 5, 2023 · 51 min
Multi-omics & type 2 diabetes | Sapna Sharma
Sapna Sharma is group leader at Technical University Munich (TUM) in Germany Favorite metabolite lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) Papers we discussed in this episode Effect of BMI on type 2 diabetes | Metabolic Signatures Elucidate the Effect of Body Mass Index on Type 2 Diabetes More on the KORA cohort discussed in this episode and in the first paper. Paper on medication associations with multiple omics | Discovery of drug–omics associations in type 2 diabetes with generative deep-learning models More on the IMI-direct project "There is enough data, but there are not enough bioinformatics tools to make sense out of it." Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available - Alices first book The STORY principle - A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics Also featuring some of the Metabolomists from Season 1 Available on Amazon and the biocrates webshop
Aug 1, 2023 · 54 min
Biobanks & neurodegenerative diseases | Karel Kalecký
Karel Kalecký is postdoctoral research associate at the Institute of Metabolic Disease, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute in Dallas, TX (USA) Favorite metabolite Betaine (trimethylglycine) Papers we discussed in this episode One-Carbon Metabolism in Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease Brain Tissue Targeted Metabolomic Analysis in Alzheimer's Disease Plasma and Brain Tissue in Non-Hispanic Whites Sign up for The Metabolomist mailing list to be the first to hear about the latest episodes and news around metabolomics at https://themetabolomist.com Finally available - Alices first book The STORY principle - A guide to the biological interpretation of metabolomics Also featuring some of the Metabolomists from Season 1 Available on Amazon and the biocrates webshop