Study
A Study represents a metabolomics experiment from a public data repository or published research.
What is a Study?
Each Study in integMET corresponds to a research project that generated metabolomics data. Studies are typically derived from:
- Entries in metabolomics data repositories (e.g., MetaboLights)
- Open access publications with available data
From each Study, integMET extracts sample information and data matrices to create Differential Profiles (DiffProfs).
Metadata Annotation
integMET independently annotates each Study with structured metadata using natural language processing (NLP) tools. This allows users to search and filter studies by:
- Disease terms
- Gene names
- Chemical compounds
- Species
- Gene Ontology terms
Study Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Study ID | Unique identifier (e.g., MTBLS10) |
| Source | Link to original repository entry |
| Title | Original study title |
| Summary | Brief description of the study |
| Observation | What was measured or observed |
| Findings | Key results from the study |
Annotated Metadata
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Disease | MeSH disease terms | hyperinsulinaemic androgen excess, metabolic syndrome |
| Gene | Gene names | apo-A1, apolipoprotein-A1 |
| Chemical | Chemical compounds mentioned | nitrogen |
| Species | NCBI Taxonomy species | Homo sapiens, Nicotiana attenuata |
| GO Terms | Gene Ontology annotations | — |
Example
Study: MTBLS103
Title: Metabolomics reveals impaired maturation of HDL particles
in adolescents with hyperinsulinaemic androgen excess
Summary: HDL maturation impaired in HIAE adolescents.
Observation: Serum levels of methionine sulfoxide in HIAE girls
Findings: Impaired HDL maturation linked to methionine-148 oxidation in apo-A1
Annotated diseases: hyperinsulinaemic androgen excess, metabolic syndrome,
hypertriglyceridemia, type 2 diabetes
Annotated genes: apo-A1
Relationship to DiffProfs
One Study can contain multiple DiffProfs. Each DiffProf represents a specific biological comparison made within the Study.
For example, a study comparing disease vs. control across multiple time points might generate several DiffProfs:
Study: MTBLS103
├── DiffProf: Control vs HIAE (comparison 1)
├── DiffProf: Control vs HIAE (comparison 2)
└── ...
→ Learn more about Differential Profiles