Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine
Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine

Metabolomics Research

Targeted metabolomics by LC-MS/MS

The metabolome comprises the entirety of all small molecules found in the different compart­ments of an organism.
© Fraunhofer ITEM, Ralf Mohr
The metabolome comprises the entirety of all small molecules found in the different compart­ments of an organism.
Fraunhofer ITEM is a certified laboratory of Biocrates

We offer standardized and high-throughput quantitative metabolome analysis by LC-MS/MS 

 

We are a certified laboratory of Biocrates®, offering standardized laboratory and kit workflow procedures. The kit-based approach presents the following advantages:

  • High analyte coverage by targeting more than 1000 metabolites from various biochemical substance classes per sample
  • High sample throughput, allowing the analysis of more than 600 samples within 2 weeks
  • Applicability to various matrices such as plasma, serum, urine, faeces and tissue samples from different species such as rat, mouse, human etc.
  • Standardized data processing, with data delivery in an editable Excel format facilitating transfer for data evaluation

Targeted metabolomics by NMR spectroscopy

We offer standardized NMR-based metabolomics by applying Bruker IVDr (B.I.) Analysis packages.

 

Advantages of this approach are:

  • Fully quantitative determination of several hundred metabolites from various biochemical substance classes using:
    • B.I.Quant-PS - Quantification Engine for Human Plasma & Serum
    • B.I.LISA - Lipoprotein Subclass Analysis for Human Plasma & Serum
    • B.I.Quant-UR ex - Human Urine Extended Quantification Method
  • Applicability to various body fluids such as plasma, serum, urine, CSF and methanol extracts of tissues etc. 
  • Non-destructive sample analysis with high reproducibility

 

The number of metabolites in any organism is vast and their entirety cannot be captured by a single analytical method.
© Fraunhofer ITEM, Ralf Mohr
The number of metabolites in any organism is vast and their entirety cannot be captured by a single analytical method.

Metabolomics Research at Fraunhofer ITEM - contact us!

Get in touch with the project team

Thank you for contacting us. We have received your message and will get back to you as soon as possible. 

 

Best regards,

Your Metabolomics team at Fraunhofer ITEM 

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Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately, something went wrong. Your message was not forwarded to us. Please try again on the webpage https://www.item.fraunhofer.de/en/services-expertise/chemical-safety-assessment/method-development-and-customized-analyses/targeted-metabolomics.html. We apologize for the inconvenience.

 

Thank you and best regards,

Your Metabolomics team at Fraunhofer ITEM 

Your contact for Bio- and Environmental Analytics

Sven Schuchardt

Contact Press / Media

Dr. Sven Schuchardt

Head of Department of Bio and Environmental Analytics

Phone +49 511 5350-218

Recent Publications

Emwas, A. H., Zacharias, H. U., Alborghetti, M. R., Gowda, G. A. N., Raftery, D., McKay, R. T., Chang, C. K., Saccenti, E., Gronwald, W., Schuchardt, S., Leiminger, R., Merzaban, J., Madhoun, N. Y., Iqbal, M., Alsiary, R. A., Shivapurkar, R., Pain, A., Shanmugam, D., Ryan, D., Roy, R., Schirra, H. J., Morris, V., Zeri, A. C., Alahmari, F., Kaddurah-Daouk, R., Salek, R. M., LeVatte, M., Berjanskii, M., Lee, B., Wishart, D. S. (2025). "Recommendations for sample selection, collection and preparation for NMR-based metabolomics studies of blood." Metabolomics 21(3): 66. doi: 10.1007/s11306-025-02259-7 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11306-025-02259-7 - Open Access

Neu, F., Wacker, M., Schuchardt, S., Vargese, S., Awad, G., Wippermann, J., Peßler, F., Veluswamy, P. (2025). "Altered plasma metabolites as fingerprint of cardiac bypass surgery." medRxiv, doi: 10.1101/2025.04.11.25325708 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.11.25325708v1 - Preprint im Repositorium - Open Access

Ghaffari, M. H., Ostendorf, C. S., Hemmert, K. J., Schuchardt, S., Koch, C., Sauerwein, H. (2025). "Longitudinal characterization of plasma and fecal bile acids in dairy heifers from birth to first calving in response to transition milk feeding." Journal of Dairy Science 108(5): 5475-5488. doi: 10.3168/jds.2025-26307 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030225002097?via%3Dihub - Open Access

Ghaffari, M. H., Sauerwein, H., Sadri, H., Schuchardt, S., Martin-Tereso, J., Doelman, J. H., Daniel, J. B. (2025). "Longitudinal characterization of the metabolome of dairy cows transitioning from one lactation to the next: Investigations in fecal samples." Journal of Dairy Science [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.3168/jds.2025-26273 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030225001328?via%3Dihub - Open Access

Welz, L., Harris, D., Schuchardt, S., Tran, F., Waschina, S., Verstockt, B., Vermeire, S., Rosenstiel, P., Schreiber, S., Aden, K. (2025). "DOP090 Serum metabolites predict endoscopic disease activity and clinical and endoscopic remission in Ulcerative Colitis." Journal of Crohn's and Colitis 19(Supplement_1): i248-i250. doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjae190.0129 https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/19/Supplement_1/i248/7967053

Waschina, S., Harris, D., Starke, S., Homeister, L., Schuchardt, S., Tran, F., Verstockt, B., Ananthakrishnan, A., Vermeire, S., Rosenstiel, P., Schreiber, S., Aden, K. (2025). "DOP019 Reduced Gut Microbial Amino Acid Auxotrophies and Enhanced Tryptophan Degradation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease." Journal of Crohn's and Colitis 19(Supplement_1): i122-i123. doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjae190.0058 https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/19/Supplement_1/i122/7967042  

Naser, S., Schulz, M., Schuchart, S., von Hammerstein-Equord, A., Buntzel, J. (2024). "Metabolomic Profiling of Large Extracellular Vesicles in Patients Suffering from Small Cell Lung Cancer." Anticancer Research 44(11): 4729-4735. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.17299 https://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/44/11/4729.long - Open Access

Zararsiz, G. E., Lintelmann, J., Cecil, A., Kirwan, J., Poschet, G., Gegner, H. M., Schuchardt, S., Guan, X. L., Saigusa, D., Wishart, D., Zheng, J., Mandal, R., Adams, K., Thompson, J. W., Snyder, M. P., Contrepois, K., Chen, S., Ashrafi, N., Akyol, S., Yilmaz, A., Graham, S. F., O'Connell, T. M., Kalecky, K., Bottiglieri, T., Limonciel, A., Pham, H. T., Koal, T., Adamski, J., Kastenmuller, G. (2024). "Interlaboratory comparison of standardised metabolomics and lipidomics analyses in human and rodent blood using the MxP((R)) Quant 500 kit." bioRxiv doi: 10.1101/2024.11.13.619447 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.13.619447v1 - Preprint im Repositorium – Open Access

Sadri, H., Ghaffari, M. H., Sauerwein, H., Schuchardt, S., Martin-Tereso, J., Doelman, J., Daniel, J. B. (2025). "Longitudinal characterization of the muscle metabolome in dairy cows during the transition from lactation cessation to lactation resumption." Journal of Dairy Science 108(1): 1062-1077. doi: 10.3168/jds.2024-25324 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030224011767?via%3Dihub - Open Access

Mohn, N., Hounchonou, H. F., Nay, S., Schwenkenbecher, P., Grote-Levi, L., Al-Tarawni, F., Esmailezadeh, M., Schuchardt, S., Schwabe, K., Hildebrandt, H., Thiesler, H., Feuerhake, F., Hartmann, C., Skripuletz, T., Krauss, J. K. (2024). "Metabolomic profile of cerebrospinal fluid from patients with diffuse gliomas." Journal of Neurology 271(10): 6970-6982. doi: 10.1007/s00415-024-12667-9 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00415-024-12667-9 - Open Access

Neu, F., Nay, S., Schuchardt, S., Klawonn, F., Skripuletz, T., Suehs, K. W., Pessler, F. (2024). "Targeted metabolomics identifies accurate CSF metabolite biomarkers for the differentiation between COVID-19 with neurological involvement and CNS infections with neurotropic viral pathogens." Journal of Translational Medicine 22(1): 620. doi: 10.1186/s12967-024-05422-1 https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-024-05422-1 - Open Access

Harris, D. M. M., Szymczak, S., Schuchardt, S., Labrenz, J., Tran, F., Welz, L., Grasshoff, H., Zirpel, H., Sumbul, M., Oumari, M., Engelbogen, N., Junker, R., Conrad, C., Thaci, D., Frey, N., Franke, A., Weidinger, S., Hoyer, B., Rosenstiel, P., Waschina, S., Schreiber, S., Aden, K. (2024). "Tryptophan degradation as a systems phenomenon in inflammation - an analysis across 13 chronic inflammatory diseases." EBioMedicine 102: 105056. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105056 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396424000914?via%3Dihub - Open Access

Beller, S., Grundmann, S. M., Pies, K., Most, E., Schuchardt, S., Seel, W., Simon, M. C., Eder, K., Ringseis, R. (2024). "Effect of replacing soybean meal with Hermetia illucens meal on cecal microbiota, liver transcriptome, and plasma metabolome of broilers." Poultry Science 103(5): 103635. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103635 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579124002141?via%3Dihub

Wacker, M., Neu, F., Schuchardt, S., Pessler, F., Awad, G., Wippermann, J. (2024). "Altered Plasma Metabolites and Deficit in Carnitine System in Patients with Coronary artery Disease Undergoing On-Pump CABG Surgery." The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon 72. doi: 10.1055/s-0044-1780618 https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0044-1780618 - Abstract

Ringseis, R., Marschall, M.J.M., Grundmann, S.M., Schuchardt, S., Most, E., Gessner, D.K., Wen, G., Eder, K. (2023): Effect of Hermetia illucens Fat, Compared with That of Soybean Oil and Palm Oil, on Hepatic Lipid Metabolism and Plasma Metabolome in Healthy Rats. Animals, 13:3356. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/21/3356

Dutsch, A., Uhlig, C., Bock, M., Graesser, C., Schuchardt, S., Uhlig, S., Schunkert, H., Joner, M., Holdenrieder, S., & Lechner, K. (2023): Multi-Omic Candidate Screening for Markers of Severe Clinical Courses of COVID-19. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12:6225. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10573369/

Starke, S., Harris, D.M.M., Zimmermann, J., Schuchardt, S., Oumari, M., Frank, D., Bang, C., Rosenstiel, P., Schreiber, S., Frey, N., Franke, A., Aden, K., Waschina, S. (2023):  Amino acid auxotrophies in human gut bacteria are linked to higher microbiome diversity and long-term stability. The ISME Journal. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-023-01537-3

Seeliger, B., Carleo, A.., Wendel-Garcia,  P.D., Fuge, J., Montes-Warboys, A., Schuchardt, S., Molina-Molina, M.,  Prasse, A. (2022): Changes in serum metabolomics in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and effect of approved antifibrotic medication. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 13.  https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.837680/full  

Diboun, I., Cyprian, F.S., Anwardeen, N.R., Yassine, H.M., Elrayess, M.A., Rahmoon, S.M., Sayed, S.K., Schuchardt, S., Khatib, M., Bansal, D., Farag, E.A.B.A., Emara, M.M., Abdallah, A.M. (2022): Identification of prognostic metabolomic biomarkers at the interface of mortality and morbidity in pre-existing TB cases infected with SARS-CoV-2. Frontier in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. 12:929689. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.929689/full

Elrayess, M.A., Cyprian, F.S., Abdallah, A.M., Emara, M.M., Diboun, I., Anwardeen, N., Schuchardt, S., Yassine, H.M.(2022): Metabolic signatures of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension in COVID-19 patients with different disease severity. In: Front Med (Lausanne).8:788687. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.788687/full

Chen, F., Elgaher, W.A.M., Winterhoff, M., Büssow, K., Waqas, F. H., Graner, E. Pires-Afonso, Y., Casares Perez, L., de la Vega, L., Sahini, N., Czichon, L., Zobl, W., Zillinger, T., Shehata, M., Pleschka, S., Bähre, H., Falk, C., Michelucci, A., Schuchardt, S., Blankenfeldt, W., Hirsch, A. K. H., Pessler, F. (2022): Citraconate inhibits ACOD1 (IRG1) catalysis, reduces interferon responses and oxidative stress, and modulates inflammation and cell metabolism. In: Nature Metabolism. 4:534. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-022-00577-x

Taleb, S., Yassine, H.M., Benslimane, F.M., Smatti, M.K., Schuchardt, S., Albagha, O., Al-Thani, A.A., Ait Hssain, A., Diboun, I., Elrayess, M.A. (2021): Predictive biomarkers of intensive care unit and mechanical ventilation duration in critically-Ill coronavirus disease 2019 Patients. In: Front Med (Lausanne).8:733657. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.733657/full

Luo, Y., Möhn, N., Al-Mekhlafi, A., Schuchardt, S., Skripuletz, T., Sühs, W., et al. (2020): Targeted metabolomic profiling of cerebrospinal fluid from patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. In: PLoS ONE. 15(11): e0242321. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0242321