Research areas

• Biological sample handling and preparation methods for clinical matrices
• Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for metabolic profiling and quantification
• Chromatographic separations of complex sample matrices
• Mass spectrometry for metabolic profiling and targeted quantification
• Molecular imaging for spatially resolved characterisation of tissue metabolite composition
• Data extraction methods and tools for high fidelity representation of spectrometric data
• Statistical analysis methods tools for the exploration of metabolic data
• Metabolite identification and de novo structure elucidation
• Education in key metabolomics technologies, methods, and data analysis approaches

Facilities and major programmes

• National Phenome Centre
• BRC Molecular Phenomics programme of the Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)
• MAP/UK

Training courses

• NIHR E-learning course
• Hands-on NMR Spectroscopy for Metabolic Profiling
• Hands-on Data Analysis for Metabolic Profiling
• Hands-on LC-MS for Metabolic Profiling

Section leadership

Head of Bioanalytical Chemistry - Dr Elizabeth Want

My research focuses primarily on the development and application of novel mass spectrometry (MS) based techniques for metabolic phenotyping and on the fusion of mass spectrometric methods with chemometric analysis, which is currently a significant bottleneck in the analysis pipeline. Broadly, my research at Imperial College has involved the development, optimisation and application of UPLC-MS methodologies for the analysis of biological samples, largely in the context of metabolic phenotyping: serum, urine, tissue, amniotic fluid, and microdialysates. These developmental advances have resulted in shorter analysis times – and therefore higher sample throughput – key for large scale metabolic phenotyping studies. Peak detection and analytical reproducibility have been enhanced, improving metabolome coverage and the potential for biomarker identification and quantification.

Find out more about Dr Elizabeth Want