The Centre for Omic Sciences, a joint Eurecat technology centre and Rovira i Virgili University unit, has underscored at the COS 2023 Annual Symposium held in Reus and online the potential of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and for studying people’s biomarkers to unlock personalised nutrition and medicine.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) “is an analytical technique which can be used to study the metabolic profiles of various organisms,” says Núria Canela, technical director at the Centre for Omic Sciences. In the context of nutrition and personalised medicine, “metabolomics can furnish valuable information on changes in metabolite levels which are associated with diet, nutritional status and individual response to different treatments.”
The NMR technique can be harnessed to determine, individual-specific metabolic profiles in samples such as blood, urine, faeces or tissues. “These profiles help us to identify metabolic biomarkers which are associated with specific health conditions or diseases,” notes Núria Canela. “They can be used to diagnose diseases, predict health risks and design personalised treatment strategies as well as to monitor individual response to medical treatments and personalised therapies.”
Specifically, in nutritional studies, “many metabolites detected and quantified by NMR in urine and blood samples have huge potential as biomarkers of metabolic alterations related to unhealthy lifestyles and dietary habits,” explains Antoni Caimari, director of Eurecat’s Biotechnology Area. “In combination with classic biomarkers used in clinical practice, they make it possible to accurately assess the person’s state of health and spot risk factors for diseases which can be effectively prevented or attenuated through precision nutrition-based strategies.”
Nuclear magnetic resonance is used, for instance, in the metabolomics studies conducted in Reus as part of the PAS GRAS project. It addresses the main determinants which contribute to the risk of obesity in the most vulnerable populations, including pre-pubertal children, adolescents and young adults, so as to treat and prevent obesity on a case by case basis, prevent the emergence of related health problems and design nutritional intervention strategies.
This European project, led by the University of Coimbra (Portugal), the Centre for Omic Sciences and the Nutrition and Health Unit in Eurecat’s Biotechnology Area in Reus, is running nutritional studies to analyse the biochemical parameters of the participants and study the epigenetic and metabolic traces which make it possible to identify strata or groups in obesity and associated risks.
Eurecat Reus is also working on the European OPADE project to identify key biomarkers in major depressive disorder to support healthcare professionals in their decision-making and enable more accurate diagnosis and antidepressant treatment.
Specifically, the research team is analysing multi-omic data from hundreds of patients with major depression to search for predictive biomarkers which allow more accurate diagnosis to guide their treatment in an individualised way through personalised medicine by harnessing NMR technology coupled with mass spectrometry to analyse changes in the patients’ metabolome before and during treatment.
COS Annual Symposium 2023
The URV and Eurecat Centre for Omic Sciences, a node in the OmicsTech Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS), showcased at its annual symposium the potential of metabolomic studies based on the nuclear magnetic resonance platform as an outstanding tool in biomedical and nutritional research for understanding the metabolic profiles of organisms, cells and tissues.
The event was partnered by Bruker and held in person at Eurecat’s Reus site and also online.
Research staff and experts from the Centre for Omic Sciences, Eurecat, Rovira i Virgili University, the Miguel Agustí Foundation, Bruker Española, SERIDA and Biosfer Teslab took part in it.
