This article describes the new approach known as metabonomics, a combination of data-rich analytical chemistry and chemometrics for profiling metabolism in complex systems. Two main analytical approaches have been used, namely nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, however, most literature on mammalian systems pertains to nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The technologies are reviewed in relation to other -omics, and how these methods can be applied to drug safety assessment, characterization of genetically modified animal models of disease, diagnosis of human disease and drug therapy monitoring is demonstrated.
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