Veterinary & Animal Health

Optimizing Veterinary and Animal Health

Veterinary and animal health encompasses a wide variety of disciplines—from companion animals to horses, swine, poultry, and cows, etc. While the species of interest in these studies are divergent, scientists all seek to gain new insights and advance their understanding of the complex biochemical alterations which occur as the result of nutritional intervention, environmental changes, or disease processes.

A Growing Need for Data in Veterinary & Animal Health Industries

While traditional studies are helpful in demonstrating causal associations, the efficacy of nutritional/therapeutic interventions, or gene expression differences between healthy and diseased animals, they do not tease apart the functional metabolic changes that occur in the animal in response to a specific stimulus (whether an endogenous or exogenous factor). Thus, traditional research methods may not be sufficient to thoroughly understand disease mechanisms, identify specific biomarkers’ diagnostic and prognostic potential, or develop targeted innovative interventions that ultimately enhance animal health and wellbeing. In addition, the veterinary and animal health industries face increased demands for more comprehensive data to support product claims; speed to market and differentiated positioning require fast, efficient, and quantitative phenotyping.

Metabolomics-Driven Insight For Veterinary & Animal Health Applications

Metabolomics is a powerful technology with broad utility across veterinary and animal health applications. A metabolic fingerprint provides actionable insights to advance our understanding of living systems, improve the efficacy of nutritional/pharmacological interventions, identify clinically relevant biomarkers, and design targeted therapeutic treatment strategies.

Leaders in Metabolomics for Veterinary & Animal Health Projects

With more than 20 years of metabolomics experience and continuous innovation, Metabolon has created the industry’s most advanced system for measuring and understanding the metabolome. Their team of expert systems biologists can informatively assist in study design and provide sample collection and handling guidelines. Following advanced liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry data generation, metabolite identification, data curation, and statistical analyses, Metabolon provides data interpretation and consultative support that can accelerate discovery, circumvent obstacles, and provide actionable data for your veterinary and animal health projects.

See how Metabolon can advance your path to preclinical and clinical insights

Metabolomics Panels for Veterinary and Animal Health

Amino Acids Targeted Panel

Amino acids (AA) are the foundational building blocks for peptides and proteins. These small molecules regulate metabolic pathways that are involved in cell maintenance, growth, reproduction, and immunity. Branched chain amino acids play a large role in building muscle tissue and participate in increasing protein synthesis. Amino acids also play a role in cell signaling, gene expression and protein phosphorylation. Maintaining an optimal balance of amino acids is vital to maintaining a stable equilibrium of physiological processes.
Amino Acids Targeted Panel
Bile Acids Targeted Panel

Bile Acids Targeted Panel

Bile acids are derived from cholesterol and serve an important role in emulsifying and digesting lipids. In addition, their metabolism is intimately involved with the microbiota, and they have been shown to exhibit endocrine and metabolic activity via receptors like FXR and TGR5. The Bile Acids Targeted Panel measures all the major human and rodent primary and secondary bile acids as well as their glycine and taurine conjugates.

Short Chain Fatty Acids Targeted Panel

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced in the colon by the gut microbiota. They are the end products of anaerobic fermentation of dietary fibers and protein/peptides in the small intestine. Their formation is the result of a complex interaction between diet, gut microbiota, and host. SCFAs influence the physiology of the colon serving as energy sources by host cells and the intestinal microbiota as well as participating in different host signaling mechanisms.
Short Chain Fatty Acids Targeted Panel
Indoles/Uremic Toxicity Targeted Panel

Indoles/Uremic Toxicity Targeted Panel

Uremic toxicity is the buildup of toxic analytes that are not able to be adequately filtered by the kidneys due to kidney injury or disease. Indole metabolites of tryptophan, the tyrosine metabolite p-cresol sulfate and 4-ethylphenyl sulfate are a key group of gut microbiota-derived uremic compounds. Their formation is the result of a complex interaction between diet, gut microbiota, and host. Increased production of these compounds by the gut microbiota and reduced clearance in kidney disease can lead to toxicity affecting nearly all systems in the body.

Metabolon in Action

High-fiber Diet for Treating Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs

Metabolon’s metabolomics platform helped identify metabolic changes that occurred when dogs with diarrhea were fed a high-fiber diet. These insights are critical in helping drive innovation towards more targeted, efficacious solutions for dogs with chronic diarrhea, improving the quality of life for dogs and their owners.

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Metabolomics Profiling Impact of Preweaning Nutrition on Growth of Dairy Calves

Metabolomics is a powerful technology that enabled characterization of the main metabolic pathways primed by early-life nutrition. This information can be used to improve preweaning nutrition to facilitate a smoother transition to solid feed and, ultimately, has the potential to help maximize future productive outcomes in dairy cows.

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Dogs With Mitral Valve Disease Have Bioenergetic and Metabolic Readaptations and Reduced Kidney Function

Metabolomics identifies changes in key metabolic pathways in the development of canine myxomatous mitral valve disease and congestive heart failure.

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In-feed Antibiotics Alter Turkey Intestinal Microbiota and Metabolome Compositions

Metabolomics combined with 16S rRNA sequencing demonstrate that antibiotic-induced changes in turkey intestinal microbial structure are predictive of the cecal metabolome, indicating a connection between the microbiome and metabolome.

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Chicken Virus Vaccine Optimization with Metabolomics

This study used metabolomics to develop an optimized cell culture medium suitable for infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) propagation. Therefore, this team of scientists provides a strategy for the efficient production of IBDV vaccines and could potentially be utilized to improve the production of other viral vaccines. In this context, metabolomics provides informative insights into the prevention and treatment of IBDV.

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Interested in Further Studies?

Why Metabolon?

Once you see the full value of metabolomics, the only remaining question is who does it best? While many laboratories have metabolite profiling or analytical chemistry capabilities, comprehensive metabolomics technologies are extremely rare. Accurate, unbiased metabolite identification across the entire metabolome introduces signal-to-noise challenges that very few labs are equipped to handle. Also, translating massive quantities of data into actionable information is slow, if not impossible, for most because proper interpretation takes two things that are in short supply: experience and a comprehensive database.

Only Metabolon has all four core metabolomics capabilities

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Coverage

Ability to interrogate thousands of metabolites across diverse biochemical space, revealing new insights and opportunities

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Comparability

Ability to integrate the data from different studies into the same dataset, in different geographies, among different patients over time

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Competency

Ability to inform on proper study design, generate high‐quality data, derive biological insights, and make actionable recommendations

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Capacity

Ability to process hundreds of thousands of samples quickly and cost‐efficiently to service rapidly growing demand

Partner with Metabolon to access:

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A library of 5,400+ known metabolites, 2,000 in human plasma, all referenced in the context of biochemical pathways

  • That’s 5x the metabolites of the closest competitor
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Unparalleled depth and breadth of experience analyzing and interpreting metabolomic data to find meaningful results

  • 10,000+ projects with hundreds of clients
  • 2,000+ publications covering 500 diseases, including numerous peer-reviewed journals such as Cell, Nature and Science
  • Nearly 40 PhDs in data science, molecular biology, and biochemistry

Using our robust platform and visualization tools, our experts are uniquely able to tell you more about your molecule and develop assay panels to help you zero in on the results you need.

Contact Us

Talk with an expert

Request a quote for our services, get more information on sample types and handling procedures, request a letter of support, or submit a question about how metabolomics can advance your research.

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