About The Metabolomist

A podcast to connect metabolomics scientists through their stories.

At biocrates, we believe that sharing our experiences is the fastest way for us all to connect the dots in our research and move the field of metabolomics forwards.

The Metabolomist podcast is our means to make this sharing and connection possible and shed light on the areas of metabolomics where we see the need to talk more about. We want to understand the story of those who shape the emerging areas of metabolomics and give a voice to those who make challenges visible.

Our Host

Alice Limonciel

Connecting ideas to improve our understanding of biology; that’s what data interpretation is about. In the episodes of this podcast I host, I put each metabolomist’s story in the spotlight to expand our metabolomics interpretation toolbox.

My background is in molecular toxicology, with a strong focus on omics analysis and integration. Today, I use these skills to tell the stories that twinkle in the depths of metabolomic datasets.

My (current) favorite metabolite – ADMA

ADMA stands for asymmetric dimethylarginine, a methylated form of the amino acid. Arginine methylation is used by our cells as a way to regulate interactions between proteins with DNA or RNA. When these proteins reach their expiration date and are degraded in the proteasome, the methylation stays and free ADMA is released rather than arginine.

For a long time, ADMA was considered a uremic toxin, a waste product that is only marginally cleared by the kidneys. What is very interesting about it is that ADMA is a potent inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), an enzyme that uses arginine as a substrate to produce nitric oxide (NO), a small molecule with many functions from vascular tone regulation to platelet aggregation and immune response.

ADMA is my favorite metabolite at the moment because I see it as the underdog, the waste product that can mess up the entire machine by winning the competition for NOS. It is found in the blood at increased levels in several pathologies, including depression and cardiovascular disease. And it might just become the next drug target to tackle depression!

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