Metabolic Research

Cambridge Isotope Laboratories Inc. (CIL) offers the most complete listing of stable isotopically labelled metabolic substrates available. These metabolic substrates are labelled with ¹³C, ¹⁵N, ¹⁸O, D, as well as other stable isotopes. Some of the many applications for these materials include the utilization of amino acids for protein turnover studies, carbohydrates for glucose metabolism studies, and fatty acids for lipolysis research. Stable isotope labelling of these materials allows investigators to study metabolic pathways in living systems in a manner which is safe, accurate and non-invasive.

Isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) is inarguably the most accurate, sensitive, reproducible and popular method available for quantifying small- and intermediate-sized molecules in a wide range of sample types. One primary reason why compounds enriched in stable isotopes make ideal internal standards for comparative or absolute quantitation using mass spectrometry is that separate signals from the “heavy” (isotope enriched) and “light” (native) forms of the same compound are detected simultaneously.

¹³C and ¹⁵N nuclei are NMR active, and thus compounds enriched in these isotopes allow for magnetic resonance detection. The large chemical shift range and favourable relaxation properties of the ¹³C nucleus has made ¹³C-enriched substrates highly valuable probes of cellular chemistry and metabolism, particularly in the rapidly advancing field of hyperpolarization.

CIL recognizes the importance of high chemical purity and isotopic enrichment for metabolic studies. For this reason, all products are tested to the meet high specifications for both. All products are shipped with a Certificate of Analysis that indicates the passing results and an MSDS to describe the product even further. CIL may be able to provide additional data upon request.

CIL offers different grades of products for your metabolic research. These include research grade, microbiological and pyrogen tested and cGMP grade. An Enhanced Technical Data Package is also available for some products. Please inquire for details.

Researchers employ stable isotope techniques to study a wide variety of metabolic disorders and diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Isotopes are most commonly used in metabolism research as tracers to quantify biochemical or metabolic reactions in vivo. They can be used to study metabolic pathways, to determine biomarkers, to test the effects of a drug, and to develop metabolic profiles of biological systems in a particular state.

Metabolomics, or the study of biochemical processes involving metabolites, is a relatively new, yet increasingly growing field of research. The use of stable isotopes as internal standards combined with mass spectrometry in metabolomics allows researchers to identify and quantify metabolites in a given biological sample. This information is invaluable to understanding the physiology of an organism and/or its response to a drug, a change in its environment, or other external stimuli.

Clinical laboratory medicine has evolved and diversified over the past few decades. Although the field has seen major advancements (in terms of methodology, instrumentation, informatics, and automation) and transitions (away from conventional immunoassays), mass spectrometry (MS) is now utilized across several areas of diagnostics.

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