Metabolomics is the scientific study of the set of metabolites or small molecules present within an organism, cell, or tissue in order to understand the effects of exogenous compounds on human metabolic regulation. In nutrition research, metabolomics can be used to identify biomarkers of specific physiological responses to different diets in terms of molecular pathways, physiological and health status. Nutritional metabolomics presents a number of challenges in possible confounding effects from non-nutrient signals that are secreted, metabolized and absorbed in saliva and urine, which compete with the metabolomic signal from nutrients absorbed from the diet.  Microflora in the large bowel also produces metabolic signals that can alter the metabolome of biological fluids in human nutrition. Despite these factors, there is every reason to be optimistic about the potential of metabolomics in nutrition research.  

MERLION Metabolomics Workshop

The MERLION Metabolomics Workshop organised by the NUS Environmental Research Institute (NERI) in collaboration with MetaboHUB and the Institut Français de Singapour (French Embassy), was held on November 19-21, 2014 in Singapore. The workshop aimed to leverage on the strong infrastructure towards applying metabolomics technology in environment, food science and technology, and human health, and facilitate the development of research collaboration in the field of metabolomics between Singapore and France. It also provided opportunities for the knowledge and technologies developed in Europe to be applied in the Asian context. ILSI SEA Region supported the ‘Outstanding Young Researcher’ award that was presented at the workshop to Dr. Wanping Aw, Keio University Japan, and colleagues for the paper ‘Metabolomics-based multi-omics analysis of Wolfberry for optimal IBD management’. More information on the meeting can be found HERE. 

The International Society for Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics (ISNN) was established in 2005 to increase the understanding of the role of genetic variation and individual dietary response, and the role of nutrients in gene expression generally, through research and education of professionals and the general public. The ISNN holds an annual congress to encourage communication between scientists working in several disciplines (including nutrition, genetics, cellular and molecular biology, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, clinical medicine, and public health) studying the role of genetic variation and dietary response and the role of nutrients in gene expression. The 8th Congress of the ISNN, held on May 2-3, 2014 on the Gold Coast, Australia, was supported by ILSI Southeast Asia Region, CSIRO, Nutrigenomics New Zealand, and the journal ‘nutrients’.

The Asia-Pacific Nutrigenomics and Nutrigenetics Organisation (APNNO) was officially launched during the 8th ISNN Congress to facilitate communication and collaboration amongst researchers and clinicians working in this field in the Asia Pacific region and also to provide a more solid basis for organizing future Asia-Pacific Nutrigenomics conferences. Prof. Michael Fenech (Australia) was elected foundation president of APNNO, with Prof. Young-Joon Surh (Korea) elected as president-elect starting from 2016 when he will organize the 7th Asia-Pacific Nutrigenomics conference in South Korea in collaboration with ILSI SEA Region, ILSI Europe and ILSI Korea. Abstracts from the 8th ISNN Congress were recently published in the official journal of the ISNN, ‘Journal of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics’, available HERE.