'Measuring the masses in the 21st Century: from mass spectrometry to metabolism' - The Inaugural Lecture of Professor Warwick Dunn

Synopsis:

Metabolites play many important roles in how we exercise, sleep and work in our daily lives and how we develop diseases and respond to treatments. The concentrations of metabolites change on a minute/hourly/daily/seasonal cycle and these dynamic changes can be applied to understand metabolism in the human body and how it influences our health. This lecture will discuss why metabolites and metabolism are studied, how they are studied applying a scientific tool called metabolomics and will include case examples of how it is applied in the research laboratory and how research can be translated to applications at the bedside or in the African savannah.

About Professor Warwick Dunn:

Warwick (Rick) Dunn is Professor of Analytical and Clinical Metabolomics in the School of Biosciences. Rick is also Director of the Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre and Director of Mass Spectrometry in Phenome Centre Birmingham. Rick trained as an analytical chemist before focussing on the study of metabolism in humans applying metabolomics. His research is wide ranging from enhancing the number of metabolites detected and their identification using mass spectrometry to developing metabolic mechanisms and biomarkers in human health and disease.

"For me, metabolites are more important than genes because they define what has happened in a dynamic way, whereas genes define what may happen. Genes are the ingredients for baking a cake but different bakers will cook different cakes and the finished cake is what we measure in metabolites."