LC-MS Metabonomics Methodology in Biomarker Discovery

Metabonomics as an important component of functional genomics and system biology has gained increasing interest in drug development and biomarker discovery. Comprehensive metabonomics investigations are primarily a challenge for analytical chemistry. The main advantages of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique include high sensitivity, high resolution, and wide dynamic range. LC-MS–based technology platforms combined with multivariate statistical methods are used to explore the complex metabolite patterns of biofluids. In this chapter, the methodology and application of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-MS–based metabonomics in biomarker discovery are reviewed.