Welcome to our Home Page.

Research: The research theme in our group is predominantly directed towards developing metabolomic and proteomic technologies for the rapid accurate characterisation of biological systems. This is achieved via a tandem analysis using analytical instrumentation that are used to produce rapid physiological metabolome, proteome or 'holistic' whole-organism (phenotypic) fingerprints of bacteria, fungi, human and animal body fluids and plant materials. In order to analyse these high dimensional multivariate data we have been very active in the development of novel chemometric and machine learning techniques. In cognate projects, we are also developing molecular methods for the phylogenetic analysis of microorganisms.

We are located in the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (www.mib.ac.uk) a £35M building designed to bring together physical scientists, engineers, computer scientists and mathematicians to attack and solve complex, multidisciplinary biological problems.

News: We have a PhD studentship in Imaging Mass Spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy available.  Click here for more details.

Software: A new data analysis tool has been developed called PyChem.  This is a new open source chemometrics package in Python. Read all about it in Bioinformatics.  For those interested in Matlab our code for cluster analysis with code can be found here.

Metabolomics: This is an exciting dynamic research area that is gaining momentum and we are please to announce:

• Journal: Metabolomics was launched in 2005.  E-Submit your papers via http://mebo.edmgr.com following the instructions to authors.

• Society: The Metabolomics Society promotes the growth and development of the field of metabolomics globally.

• Standards: Workgroups progress reports can be found at the Metabolomics Standards Initiative and papers to be published on-line in Metabolomics.

• 2008 Meetings: Metabomeeting 2008, 28-29 April, Lyon, France; 5^th Intl Conf on Plant Metabolomics, 15-18 July, Pacifico Yokohama, Japan; Metabolomics 2008, 2- 7 September, Boston; Advances in Metabolic Profiling, 16-17 October, Lisbon Portugal.

• Past Meetings:  Metabolomics 2007, 11-14 June, Manchester, UK; Metabolomics 2006, 24-29 June, Boston; Plant Metabolomics 7-10 April 2006, Reading UK; Advances in Metabolic Profiling, 18-19 October 2006, London, UK; Metabomeeting 3, 18-19 December 2006, London, UK

• Books: Metabolome analyses: strategies for systems biology (2005) Eds: S. Vaidyanathan, G.G. Harrigan & R. Goodacre. Springer, Boston. 383 pages. Get your copy from: Springer - Barnes and Noble.

Projects: Our research can be divided into several themes, for full details click projects on the toolbar above:

• Mass spectrometry for high-throughput metabolomics.
• Integrative ’omic analyses and systems biology for understanding biological systems.
• Development of a wide variety of Raman spectroscopic methods.
• Metabolomics and proteomics in health and disease.
• Rapid characterisation of microorganisms.
• Rapid characterisation of foodstuffs.

Funding: Many thanks to BBSRC, EPSRC, HOSDB, European Commission FP6, and Royal Society of Chemistry for funding our current.

Contact: Prof Roy Goodacre, School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, PO Box 88, Sackville Street, Manchester, M60 1QD, U.K.

Last updated 08 April 2008