Metabolomics 101 (cancer)
Metabolomics profiles small molecules and flux through metabolic networks. Tumors rewires metabolism (Warburg effect is the classic example; modern work is far richer).
What you capture
- Polar / lipid metabolite panels
- Stable-isotope tracing for flux (research-heavy)
- Links to nutrient sensing, redox state, and drug metabolism
Oncology use cases
- Biomarkers of aggressiveness or treatment response
- Synthetic lethality and metabolic vulnerabilities (e.g. enzyme dependencies)
- Connection to Cancer metabolism at the biology level
Data reality
Metabolomics is sensitive to pre-analytics (collection, storage). Pipelines differ from genomics; treat metadata and batch effects seriously.