MetaboLights: Quick tour

Abstract

What is MetaboLights? MetaboLights [3] is the first general purpose, open access [4] repository for metabolomics [5] studies, their raw experimental data and associated metadata [6], maintained by one of the major open access data providers in molecular biology (Figure 1). The identification and quantification of metabolites can provide unique insights into the metabolic processes that are taking place in the cellular environment. Metabolic profiles [7] taken from body fluids have the potential to act as biomarkers for many different diseases, an approach that has already shown value in, for example, heart disease and diabetes, the effects of diet and interactions with the environment. MetaboLights consists of two distinct layers: 1) a repository, enabling the metabolomics community to share findings, data and protocols for any form of metabolomics study; 2) a reference layer of curated knowledge about metabolite structures and their reference spectra, as well as their biological roles, locations, concentrations, and raw data [8] from metabolic experiments. The effectiveness of metabolomic profiling methods depends on the availability of public open data across a broad range of experimental methods and conditions. The MetaboLights repository seeks to fulfil this requirment. MetaboLights is specifically designed to build on prior art and to extensively collaborate with the existing databases, ensuring that data are exchanged and that assimilation efforts target gaps in the knowledge available worldwide.