The use of mass spectrometry for analysing metabolite biomarkers in epidemiology: methodological and statistical considerations for application to large numbers of biological samples
Mads V. Lind1,2, Otto I. Savolainen1, Alastair B. Ross1
1Food and Nutritional Science, Department of Biology and
Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology,
Gothenburg, Sweden
2Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of
Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 3rd
Floor, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
Abstract
Data quality is critical for epidemiology, and as
scientific understanding expands, the range of data available
for epidemiological studies and the types of tools used
for measurement have also expanded. It is essential for the
epidemiologist to have a grasp of the issues involved with
different measurement tools. One tool that is increasingly
being used for measuring biomarkers in epidemiological
cohorts is mass spectrometry (MS), because of the high
specificity and sensitivity of MS-based methods and the
expanding range of biomarkers that can be measured.
Further, the ability of MS to quantify many biomarkers
simultaneously is advantageously compared to single biomarker
methods. However, as with all methods used to
measure biomarkers, there are a number of pitfalls to
consider which may have an impact on results when used
in epidemiology. In this review we discuss the use of MS
for biomarker analyses, focusing on metabolites and their
application and potential issues related to large-scale epidemiology
studies, the use of MS ‘‘omics’’ approaches for
biomarker discovery and how MS-based results can be
used for increasing biological knowledge gained from
epidemiological studies. Better understanding of the
possibilities and possible problems related to MS-based
measurements will help the epidemiologist in their discussions
with analytical chemists and lead to the use of the
most appropriate statistical tools for these data.
European Journal of Epidemiology - 2016, DOI 10.1007/s10654-016-0166-2