National Phenome Centre sets new standard in large scale LC-MS data acquisition

The NPC showcases advancements in molecular profiling in a recent publication related to UPLC-MS analysis of human urine samples.

The MRC-NIHR National Phenome Centre’s (NPC) most recent publication is the culmination of numerous advancements in molecular profiling and years of rigorous testing. Building on a foundation of established UPLC-MS methods for human urine analysis set by the Division of Computational and Systems Medicine, the NPC has now detailed the adaptation of such methods for use on an industrial-scale. The recent publication draws together innovations in mass spectrometric instrument control, chromatographic method application, and holistic system optimisation, ultimately delivering raw data with unprecedented precision in large studies. The authors promote a robust data filtering strategy requiring no prior knowledge of sample metadata or grouping and propose novel criteria for feature selection which highlights the presence of potentially important biological information.   

Aimed at serving the epidemiology and precision medicine communities, these achievements in performing  longitudinally-stable measurement of tens-of-thousands of chemical features enables the exploration of subtle phenotypic differences within human populations. The NPC is routinely applying this workflow and technology in collaboration with epidemiologists and clinical groups across the UK to generate new understanding of disease mechanisms and prognostics.

Read the NPC's latest publication: Development and Application of UPLC-ToF MS for Precision Large Scale Urinary Metabolic Phenotyping.

For more information on the NPC’s advancements in profiling technology, or to directly contact the MRC-NIHR National Phenome Centre with project inquiries, please contact phenomecentre@imperial.ac.uk.