Overview

We are a multidisciplinary lab studying the host-microbe interface on a molecular level. We use a strategy called reverse metabolomics to discover metabolites of biological interest. In this approach, complex mixtures of potential metabolites are generated using chemical synthesis, then mass spectrometry is used to capture MS/MS spectra for these molecules. These spectral fingerprints are then searched for in public metabolomics data to determine if a molecule is present in biological samples and if so, where. Ultimately, this method allows us to make reliable metabolite-phenotype associations. From there, we are able to explore the biological roles and activities of disease-associated small molecules with the help of great collaborators.