Metabolomics and Lipidomics Platform
Metabolomics provides a powerful lens through which to study cellular metabolism and physiological states by quantifying low-molecular-weight compounds in biological samples. It captures dynamic biochemical changes in response to genetic, environmental, or therapeutic factors - serving as a functional readout of phenotype. Lipidomics, a sub-discipline of metabolomics, offers deep insight into lipid signaling, membrane biology, and metabolic disorders.
“Metabolomics gives us a real-time window into cellular function. It’s often the first place we see the impact of disease, treatment, or environmental stress - and that’s what makes it so powerful.” - Nidia Lauzon
The Metabolomics and Lipidomics platform at the McGill Genome Centre supports quantitative profiling of small molecules to uncover metabolic signatures, pathway activity, and disease-related perturbations. We offer targeted metabolomics and untargeted lipidomics using robust triple-quadrupole and high-resolution mass spectrometry systems. These assays provide high-throughput, reproducible, and biologically informative data to support biomarker discovery, treatment response studies, and metabolic pathway exploration.
Common Applications
Targeted Metabolomics (LC-MS/MS & GC-MS/MS)
Relative quantification of predefined panels covering 497 metabolites (GC-MS/MS) and 369 metabolites (LC-MS/MS), including amino acids, organic acids, nucleobases, and vitamins
Untargeted Lipidomics
Discovery-based profiling of lipid species across major classes such as phospholipids, sphingolipids, and triglycerides. Plasma samples typically yield ~500 detectable lipids.
Pathway-Based Analysis
Mapping metabolite levels to metabolic and biochemical pathways.
Biomarker Discovery
Identification of metabolite or lipid signatures associated with disease states or treatment response.
Technologies at the McGill Genome Centre
Shimadzu LCMS TQ-8060NX
Triple quadruple mass spectrometer for targeted metabolomics via LC-MS/MS — quantifies key metabolites such as amino acids, bile acids, and acylcarnitines.
Shimadzu GCMS TQ-8040NX
Triple quadruple gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for targeted metabolomics — quantifies organic acids, fatty acids, and sugars.
Orbitrap Exploris 240 (Thermo Scientific) + Nexera X3 UHPLC
High-resolution mass spectrometry for untargeted lipidomics — supports broad lipid class coverage and discovery workflows.
Andrew+ Alliance Liquid Handler (Waters)
Automated pipetting robot for sample prep — ensures consistency and scalability in complex assays.
PAL RTC system (Phytronix)
Automated chemical derivatization for GC samples and direct injection into the mass spectrometer — ensures reproducibility and consistency across cohort analysis.
Platform Deliverables
TBD