Approaches in untargeted metabolomics

The untargeted approach is an intriguing version of metabolomics that could provide several interesting insights into human physiology and diseases. Untargeted metabolomics does not need a priori hypothesis and could characterize biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis. Moreover, metabolomic profiles could be used to train mathematical algorithms to make a disease diagnosis. Furthermore, through the description of the complexity of the established relationship among the metabolites, inferences about the diseases’ mechanisms are possible. Despite this great potential, untargeted metabolomics, unlike the targeted approach, is used only in limited clinical applications. In this chapter, the usefulness and the principal applications of untargeted metabolomics, as well as its principal limitations, key factors, and suggestions for improved clinical implementations are discussed.