The MUB Metabolomics Laboratory, which is part of the Clinical Research Centre at the Medical University of Bialystok, specialises in metabolomic and proteomic analyses used in medical research, e.g. on personalised medicine.
The Laboratory conducts targeted and non-targeted metabolomics (including lipidomics) and proteomics studies. The research activity of the Laboratory is carried out mainly in the area of medicine, and in particular is focused on learning and understanding biochemical changes related to the development of diseases.
Thanks to this, it is possible to identify new biomarkers of diseases that allow improving diagnostics, monitoring the progress of the disease or assessing the effectiveness of treatment. The MUB Metabolomics Laboratory team has many years of experience in working with a variety of biological material, including plasma, serum, urine, various types of tissues or cells.
Except the analysis of the standard biological material, the team led by prof. dr hab. Michał Ciborowski develops and validates methods for measurement of metabolites in any biological sample, e.g. amniotic fluid or aqueous and vitreous humour.
Various separation techniques are used in the laboratory to achieve the greatest coverage of the metabolome. This approach allows to gain broader knowledge of the biomedical problems under study.
The MUB Metabolomics Laboratory offers a comprehensive approach, including not only the measurement of metabolites in the provided biological samples, but also the analysis of the obtained data, including statistical analyses, identification of metabolites and analysis of metabolic pathways. In addition, the group includes bioinformaticians who create dedicated bioinformatics tools for its needs, facilitating data analysis.
The laboratory cooperates with other units, both domestic and foreign, including the Medical University of Łódź, Medical University of Gdańsk, Wrocław University of Technology, Centre for Metabolomics and Bioanalysis (CEMBIO) at the San Pablo University CEU in Madrid, Laboratory of Integrative Molecular Phenotyping at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm or the Spanish National Centre for the Study of Cardiovascular Diseases CNIC in Madrid.
Cooperation also involves the activities of the Polish Metabolomics Society, whose authorities include employees of the Laboratory. These activities make it possible to establish new scientific cooperation and constantly exchange experiences and transfer knowledge with other researchers from Poland and abroad, which in turn contributes to the improvement of qualifications. It is also worth mentioning that two members of the team (dr. Joanna Godzień and dr. Michał Burdukiewicz) have received prestigious scholarships from the Minister of Education and Science for outstanding young scientists.
The MUB Metabolomics Laboratory is equipped with high-resolution mass spectrometers, such as QTOF, which are used for non-target metabolomic and proteomic analyses. In addition, the laboratory has a unique on a national scale RapidFire system, enabling high-throughput (10 samples/min), simultaneous analysis of particular metabolites.
Untargeted metabolomic analyses
The laboratory is equipped with two LC-QTOF-MS devices used for untargeted metabolomics analysis, the so-called metabolic fingerprinting. Untargeted comparative metabolite analyzes are performed on the following biological samples: plasma/serum, urine, amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, PBMCs, neutrophils, exhaled breath condensate, tissues (lung, brain), as well as aqueous and vitreous humour.
Quantitative measurement of metabolites
In the Metabolomics Laboratory, depending on requirements, analytical methods for the measurement of metabolites are developed or methods described in scientific literature are adopted. Moreover, commercial solutions for targeted metabolomics are also used.
Proteomic analyses
The MUB Metabolomics Laboratory performs:
Qualitative and semi-quantitative analyses from various biological materials (plasma, tissues, cell cultures, isolates, etc.),
Comparative analyses in no-label mode, using isobaric labeling,
Identification of post-translational modifications;
Additional methods of sample enrichment, e.g. isolation of phosphorylated peptides,
plasma protein depletion,
Additional off-line fractionation,
Desalination and purification of samples;
Bioinformatic and functional analysis of the obtained results along with their biological interpretation.
The multi-disciplinary research team of the MUB Metabolomics Laboratory consists of nearly 20 experts (chemists, biologists, biostatisticians, mathematicians)
- prof. dr hab. Michał Ciborowski (Manager)
- dr Michał Burdukiewicz
- dr Jarosław Chilimoniuk
- dr Dominik Cysewski
- dr Joanna Godzień
- dr Tomasz Kowalczyk
- dr Katarzyna Miniewska
- dr Ewa Paszkowska
- dr Karolina Pietrowska
- Adrian Godlewski MSc
- Wioleta Gosk MSc
- Krystyna Grzesiak MSc
- Paulina Klimaszewska MSc
- Patrycja Mojsak MSc
- Tomasz Pieńkowski MSc
- Julia Siemińska MSc
Contact:
prof. dr hab. Michał Ciborowski
email: michal.ciborowski@umb.edu.pl
tel: +48 85 831 8151
