Frontiers in Metabolomics

Metabolomics is a multidisciplinary and multipurpose approach that provides a holistic view of the concentration of molecules in complex matrices, and has potential applications in several fields, encompassing biochemistry, biology, biomedicine, and agricultural sciences. In the past two decades, metabolomics has been demonstrated to be a powerful method for the study of complex natural mixtures, including biofluids, cells, tissues, food matrices, and plant extracts. In this section of Metabolites, we aim to collect original research contributions that, applying beyond-state-of-the-art approaches, push metabolomics to its extreme frontiers. Contributions are not restricted with respect to a particular analytical technique, or to a particular field of application. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• research that pursues considerable advancements in metabolomic study design, data acquisition and data analysis
• studies involving the validation of biomarkers in large-scale multicentric cohorts
• applications suitable for, or in the process of, clinical translation
• innovative sample collection methods and protocols
• multi-omic studies with advanced data integration schemes.

Reviews that critically discuss innovations in the field that are emerging or just on the horizon will also be considered.