Associate Director

Marion Miller, Ph.D

Marion Miller is sponsoring an initiative in a new field called NMR-based metabonomics. This powerful technique can take a snap-shot of the potentially hundreds of small organic molecules that make up the body’s metabolic system. These measurements can be made on tissue and biofluid samples (typically urine or blood) following exposure to toxicants, during the development of organisms, or throughout the progress of a disease. The analysis and interpretation of the resulting metabolite profiles is dependent upon computational and mathematical methods, termed bioinformatics. Metabonomics is ideally suited for examining mechanistic aspects of toxicology and for determining metabolic changes that can be associated with specific disease or exposure states. In conjunction with studies on the genetic composition of organisms and of the proteins expressed by those genes, metabonomic information could offer unprecedented insights into mechanisms of toxic action.

The aims of this initiative are to increase awareness of the emerging technique of NMR-based metabonomics, and to develop seed projects that could ultimately lead to future funding. An additional goal is to develop the necessary spectroscopic, statistical, and bioinformatic infrastructure. Accordingly, this initiative includes a collaboration with The Center for Image Processing and Integrated Computing at UC Davis under the direction of Dr. David Rocke. In addition, the UC Davis NMR Facility will provide technical support.