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Metabolomics is a relatively new area of science that measures the thousands of small molecules in cells, tissues and organisms. While small, these molecules, also called metabolites, provide a powerful new route to study drug metabolism, gene-environment interactions and biological pathways. The Metabolomics Innovation Centre (TMIC) is Canada’s national metabolomics core facility and technology development centre. It provides researchers with world-class resources for metabolomics research, including testing facilities, specialized experimental methods, bioinformatics tools and scientific expertise. Co-located at the University of Alberta and the University of Victoria, TMIC supports cutting-edge technology development and biomarker research programs with numerous local, national and international partners.

TMIC develops novel tools, methods and technologies to study the metabolome of a wide variety of organisms and biological systems, with applications in human health and diagnostics, microbiology, agriculture, forestry, environment, food and nutrition, and bioproducts. A key research focus is identifying metabolites that are predictive of a wide variety of human diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis and heart disease. In collaboration with Genome Alberta, and with funding support from Western Economic Diversification and Alberta Innovates Health Solutions, TMIC established a Metabolomics Technology Demonstration Centre in 2015 that enabled translation of biomarker and metabolomics discoveries into real-life applications through the development of prototype kits and portable devices for metabolomic testing.

TMIC also provides a wide range of research services for metabolomic profiling, comprehensive metabolite identification, absolute quantification, pathway analysis and biomarker discovery and validation for the medical, agricultural, food processing and environmental testing markets.