CHAPTER 12: Ion Mobility–Mass Spectrometry in Metabolomics Studies
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Published:11 Nov 2021
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Special Collection: 2021 ebook collection
E. Zlibut, K. L. Leaptrot, J. C. May, and J. A. McLean, in Ion Mobility – Mass Spectrometry: Fundamentals and Applications, ed. A. E. Ashcroft and F. Sobott, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2021, pp. 307-335.
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Metabolomics is the broadscale study of small molecules that are the downstream biochemical products of the genome, transcriptome, and proteome. In light of the many chemical classes that make up the metabolome, techniques involving detection, quantification, and identification are crucial for deepening our understanding of metabolic processes in biological systems. Among others, metabolomics holds enormous potential for early diagnosis, real-time therapy monitoring, identification of novel drug targets, and broadened understanding of many diseases. The expansive evolution of the metabolomics field in the past decades is in part attributed to the use of ion mobility (IM). IM integration efforts have been directed at (1) reducing the complexity of mass spectra, (2) increasing isomer separations, (3) improving metabolomic annotation, and (4) obtaining structural analysis of metabolites. Also featured in this chapter are the advantages of IM use within major metabolomic research areas including mass spectrometry (MS) imaging, clinical settings, environmental exploration, forensic sciences, and foodomics.