Metabolomics refers to the global study of small organic molecules with a molecular weight of less than 1000 Da. At BTI, metabolomics is used to study metabolic behaviour related to cell growth, apoptosis and protein productivity. Initial exploration of the metabolome is carried out using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS).
The resulting raw MS data is pre-processed and analysed with MetaSuite, an in-house developed software. Targeted profiling of shortlisted metabolites of interest is subsequently carried out via the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) approach. The resulting information contributes towards improvements in cell culture processes, through guiding the development of optimal culture media and the identification of new targets for cell line engineering.