Navigating the road ahead: addressing challenges for use of metabolomics in epidemiology studies.
Metabolomics platforms allow for the measurement of hundreds to thousands of unique small chemical entities, as well as offer extensive coverage of metabolic markers related to obesity, diet, smoking, and other exposures of high interest to health scientists. Nevertheless, its potential use as a tool in population-based study design has not been fully explored. As the field of metabolomics continues to mature, and in part, accelerate through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) investment of ≤65 million in the Common Fund's Metabolomics Program (https://common fund.nih.gov/metabolomics/index), it is time to consider those challenges most pertinent to epidemiologic studies.
Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Majda
M
Haznadar
Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA.
Padma
P
Maruvada
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20892, USA.
Eliza
E
Mette
Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.
John
J
Milner
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20892, USA.
Steven C
SC
Moore
Divison of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20892, USA.
Holly L
HL
Nicastro
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20892, USA.
Joshua N
JN
Sampson
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20892, USA.
L Joseph
LJ
Su
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20892, USA.
Mukesh
M
Verma
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20892, USA.
Krista A
KA
Zanetti