Pharmacometabolomics: Current applications and future perspectives

Metabolomics, a novel “omics” platform, is a powerful tool for the discovery of clinically useful biomarkers and biochemical processes to improve diagnosis and therapy. Through the use of advanced analytical technologies, metabolomics enables the assessment of comprehensive metabolic profiles that are affected by both genotype and environmental factors. Recently, attention has been focused on the concept of pharmacometabolomics, an emerging field that is derived from metabolomics. Pharmacometabolomics is focused on the use of individual metabolic signatures for the prediction and evaluation of drug efficacy and safety, eventually accelerating clinical pharmacology toward personalized drug therapy.