Researchers from The Metabolomics Innovation Centre (TMIC) participated in Metabolomics 2026, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where researchers from around the world gathered to present the latest advances in metabolomics research and foster new international collaborations.
The meeting provided an opportunity for TMIC researchers to showcase innovations spanning artificial intelligence, biomarker discovery, and precision nutrition while strengthening partnerships with collaborators across Latin America.
Presentation Highlights
TMIC Co-Director Dr. David Wishart presented “Using Deep Learning to Decipher the Dark Metabolome,” demonstrating how artificial intelligence is being used to identify previously uncharacterized metabolites and expand knowledge of the human metabolome. This work highlights the growing role of machine learning in accelerating metabolite identification and supporting new discoveries in biomedical research.
TMIC Node Leader Dr. Philip Britz-McKibbin presented “High-throughput Urine Exposomic Studies for Global Health: Deciphering Cigarette Smoke and Coffee Co-exposures…A Bad Combination?” His talk used high-throughput urinary exposomics to characterize widespread lifestyle exposures such as coffee and cigarette smoke, and to examine the metabolic effects of exposure to both. He also led the “Multisegment Injection-Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry: A High-throughput Platform for Large-scale Metabolomic Studies” workshop, which outlined progress in developing MSI-CE-MS as a multiplexed microseparation platform for the untargeted analysis of polar and ionic metabolites, along with standardized data workflows aimed at making large-scale metabolomic studies more scalable and cost-effective, particularly in resource-limited settings.
Dr. Dajana Vuckovic, leader of the Vuckovic Node at TMIC, co-presented the workshop “The current state and future requirements for the use of Quality Control (QC) in untargeted metabolomics as defined by mQACC.” The workshop underscored the need for robust quality control across untargeted metabolomics studies and featured case studies of QC sample types spanning LC-MS, GC-MS, and NMR platforms.
Research Highlights
TMIC trainees also presented research addressing important challenges in translational metabolomics.
Yamile López, from TMIC’s Wishart Node, presented the poster “Precision Metabolomics for Early Lung Cancer Detection: A Translational Validation Framework Across Diverse Populations.” The study describes a framework for validating metabolomics-based biomarkers across diverse populations, with the goal of improving the clinical translation of early lung cancer detection.
Dorsa Rayat, from TMIC’s Wishart Node, presented “Longitudinal Metabolomics Reveals Diet-Specific Risk Profiles: A Reference-Based Framework for Precision Nutrition,” demonstrating how longitudinal metabolomic profiling can identify diet-specific metabolic signatures and contribute to more personalized nutritional recommendations.
Mariana Buitrago, from TMIC’s Britz-McKibbin Node, presented “Urinary Metabolites as Non-Invasive Biomarkers of Omega-3 Index: A Nutritional Metabolomics Approach.” The study investigates whether urinary metabolites can serve as non-invasive surrogate markers of the Omega-3 Index with the goal of enabling simpler, blood-free monitoring of omega-3 status and dietary intervention.
Together, these presentations reflect TMIC’s commitment to advancing precision medicine through innovative metabolomics technologies and multidisciplinary research.
Expanding International Collaboration
During the conference, members of the TMIC delegation visited the laboratory of Dr. María Eugenia Monge at CBION, where discussions focused on opportunities for scientific collaboration and knowledge exchange.
The conference also provided an opportunity to meet with researchers from across Latin America to strengthen existing partnerships and establish new collaborations aimed at expanding access to metabolomics technologies, analytical platforms, and training throughout the region. These efforts support TMIC’s mission of advancing metabolomics through international cooperation and open scientific exchange.
