Metro costs for Plant & Microbial Metabolomics Initiative
Lead Research Organisation:
Rothamsted Research
Department Name: Plant Biology & Crop Science
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Jane Ward (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Ward J
(2007)
Recent applications of NMR spectroscopy in plant metabolomics
in The FEBS Journal
Ward JL
(2010)
An inter-laboratory comparison demonstrates that [H]-NMR metabolite fingerprinting is a robust technique for collaborative plant metabolomic data collection.
in Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society
Ward JL
(2010)
The metabolic transition during disease following infection of Arabidopsis thaliana by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato.
in The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology
Description | This grant was awarded to MeT-RO by BBSRC as a means of payment of costs associated with metabolomic data collection and analysis for the BBSRC 2nd phase metabolomics initiative. MeT-RO supplied applicants to the initiative with costings for services and 9 out of the 10 projects funded in the initiative contained such a costing. MeT-RO received approximately 9000 samples from grant holders, giving rise to 27,000 datasets for NMR and ESI-MS. All samples were analysed and the data modelled and returned to the applicant. There were no outstanding samples at the grant end date. For each of the experiments MeT-RO was involved with, robust datasets were generated which were useful in answering the grant holder's biological problems. Several publications are already in print, several are in press and many more are in draft form. Key findings included the discovery of biomarkers associated with Pseudomonas infection in Arabidopsis, discovery of biomarkers which could serve as early detection signals to Fusarium infection in wheat, novel glucosinolates in seed development in Arabidopsis beta oxidation mutants, QTLs for the major flavonoid in tomato fruit, metabolites which correlated with biomass in Arabidopsis mutants and an understanding of nutrient starvation and re-supply also in Arabidopsis. |
Exploitation Route | During the project lifetime, the team at MeT-RO streamlined their standard procedures such that a high throughput operation could be achieved. The average sample throughput through both NMR and MS technologies is currently around 25,000 samples per year. Alongside the contracted MeT-RO activities for the second phase inititative, BBSRC was keen for MeT-RO to establish a pilot study mechanism to allow members of the research community to carry out a small metabolomics study at no cost. The aim was for the customer to be able to trial the metabolomics approach on their own system and to also provide pilot data for subsequent grant proposals. Prior to the awards of grants being made, the MeT-RO team worked with 58 individuals, 41 of whom submitted a proposal into the initiative. A significant number of these applicants had small pilot studies carried out prior to the initiative application deadline. Although many of these applicants were not successful in being awarded a grant, the pilot work undertaken by MeT-RO was in many cases informative and yielded interesting results some of which were written up for publication and these are included in this report. Aside from the studies carried out for applicants to the phase 2 initiative, a further 26 pilot studies have since been carried out for members of the UK plant and microbial community within the lifetime of this "grant". In addition, a number of contract services for UK and EU academics and industrial customers have also been completed, raising further income for MeT-RO and allowing the BBSRC metabolomics centre to continue beyond the end date of the original BBSRC funding. |
Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment |
Description | MeT-RO has carried out many follow-on projects as a result of initial findings in the funded projects of the BBSRC metabolomics initiative. In addition a wide number of publications have been put into the public domain and publications are still arising from the funded projects. |
First Year Of Impact | 2008 |
Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
Title | Seed Metabolomics |
Description | For a project involving the study of seed development in Arabidopsis (PI - Ian Graham), it was necessary to obtain datasets for 3 different analytical technologies (GC-MS, NMR and ESI-MS) from each submitted sample. In addition to these challenging issues, methods had to be developed to handle the data produced and to account for tissues at different developmental stages within the same experiment to ensure that the true biological questions could be answered. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2006 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | The method has been incorporated into MeT-RO's portfolio of protocols and is available to other users of the facility |
Description | DECHEMA metabolomics conference, Frankfurt, May 2012 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
Results and Impact | Invited lecture entitled "Recent Examples of Biomarker Discovery in Plants" This gave us the opportunity to engage with other European groups applying metabolomics to plant and crop science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
Description | 2hr NMR- tutorial co-presented with Jane Ward (RRes) for Noble Foundation staff and students, Oklahoma, Nov 2012 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Teaching tutorial aimed at plant scientists unfamiliar to NMR technology - "Using NMR in plant science - principles and practice" This talk coincided with purchase of an advanced NMR-MS system by the Noble Foundation. As chair of the steering committee involved in securing the NSF funding for this procurement and in the negotiation with the instrument manufacturers, advice on implementation and operation of advanced NMR-MS in plant and crop science was well received. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
Description | Healthgrain forum Spring Meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | The talk "Metabolomics in analysis of genetic diversity" aimed to summarise additional work that had been carried out using metabolomics since the end of the EU HEALTHGRAIN project. Unknown |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Inauguration of Swedish Metabolomics Facility |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | The talk "A journey through plant metabolomics with MeT-RO" aimed to share experiences of running a service facility in the UK. Questions followed relating to how best deliver metabolomics as a service. Discussions with the manager of the Swedish Metabolomics Facility followed the presentation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Metabolomics Society Annual Congress 2010- Plant Metabolomics Technology Review: |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Teaching workshop talk entitled "separating the wheat from the chaff - getting the most out of plant metabolomics experiments" This talk was part review of the technology and part advisory on experiences working in the area. This talk and subsequent discussions with delegates, including students, allowed us to relate our own experience in the establishment of a metabolomics centre. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |