Centre for Metabolomics Research

The Centre for Metabolomics Research (CMR) employs state-of-the-art equipment and established robust standard operating procedures (SOPs) that can be applied in human, plants, and microbial studies to understand systems at cellular, tissue and whole organism levels.

Our experts have strong interdisciplinary skills spanning biology, analytical chemistry and the computer sciences. We can provide advice from study conception and experimental design to data acquisition and data analysis to support your project.

What you'll receive from our facility

• The CMR team has developed metabolomics standard operating procedures (SOPs) and workflows that have been widely adopted by the metabolomics community
• Our facility staff are available to share their expertise ranging from human, plant, environmental and microbial studies, to health and disease and to synthetic and evolutionary biology
• We provide a collaborative approach with support throughout your project from study concept and experimental design and sample preparation to data acquisition, data processing, data analysis and performing our quality assurance procedures
• In the untargeted metabolomics mode, metabolite annotation and identification is highly challenging.  Therefore, we cannot provide identifications for all metabolites applying standard workflows. For metabolites that are key to understanding biological processes, we can work together to design and/or perform additional work to attempt to annotate important metabolites
• We are also able to offer support in grant applications (preliminary data analysis)
• Metabolomics Training is available via the Liverpool Training Centre for Metabolomics.

The equipment we offer includes:

Mass spectrometry platforms

• Thermo Scientific Q Exactive MS
• Thermo Scientific Orbitrap ID-X Tribrid
• Agilent 6560 Ion Mobility MS
• Thermo Scientific Fortis, Agilent 6460 and SCIEX 6500+ LC-triple quad systems
• Agilent GC Q-ToF incorporating just-in-time derivatisation
• Agilent GC Q-ToF with Markes Thermal Desorption for analysis of volatile organic compounds
• SCIEX Echo MS system
• Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris 240 MS
• Leco Pegasus BT 4D GC x GC-ToF MS.

Raman and Infrared Spectroscopy

• Renishaw inVia imaging system for spontaneous Raman with 785 nm
• Leica multipurpose microscope imaging system with coherent Raman methods including CARS (coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering) and SRS (stimulated Raman scattering)
• mIRage offering both infrared and Raman imaging
• Handheld and portable Raman systems and spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS).

Who can use our facilities

• University of Liverpool academic staff
• Researchers from other universities/research institutions in the UK and internationally
• Government partners
• Industrial research partners.

What Metabolomics research can be used for

We are actively involved in technology and informatics developments within the metabolomic field and also conduct our own research in many different areas across the biological and clinical sciences.

We are keen to collaborate and learn about new biological challenges both with the University of Liverpool and external collaborators. The team has vast experience of applying metabolomics to new and exciting challenges and we encourage you to contact us at the start of research to discuss how to incorporate metabolomics into your project.

Metabolomics is a multidisciplinary science and so we expect that anyone interested in using metabolomics has background knowledge in the biochemistry of their organism.  This is important as each biological system is different and we would expect you to take a lead on biological interpretation.

Back to: Research