Chinese scientists create atlas linking blood metabolites to human diseases

BEIJING -- A Chinese research team has compiled a groundbreaking plasma metabolome atlas, mapping the extensive links between metabolic profiles and a wide range of human diseases.

This work provides a valuable theoretical foundation and a rich resource for early disease diagnosis, prognosis assessment, and drug discovery.

The study, conducted by researchers from Fudan University and its affiliated Huashan Hospital, systematically analyzed the associations between plasma metabolites and thousands of diseases and traits in people. The findings were recently published in the journals Nature Metabolism and Nature Communications.

According to You Jia, researcher at the Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, metabolites reflect the complex interactions between genes, behavior and the environment, serving as critical indicators for assessing human health and disease.

By evaluating 313 plasma metabolite indicators, the researchers identified over 50,000 significant associations between metabolites and diseases. The analysis highlighted the pervasive role of lipid metabolism disorders across multiple disease systems. Notably, indicators related to large-particle low-density lipoprotein showed the strongest links to various diseases.

A key discovery involves the timeline of the disease's progression. The study revealed that for more than half of the significant metabolites, abnormal levels were detectable up to a decade before clinical diagnosis. Furthermore, these indicators exhibited dramatic shifts at two critical age points: 46 and 64.

For clinical application, the researchers established a metabolite risk score to carry out accurate diagnosis of 94 existing diseases and prediction of 81 emerging diseases, among which creatinine, glycoprotein acetyl and albumin were confirmed as key biomarkers.

The research also provided genetic insights into the causal relationships between metabolites and diseases, and identified several potential drug targets.

"The research offers a systematic tool to detect early warning signals of diseases before their occurrence by monitoring changes in metabolites, enabling the prediction of certain disease risks in advance," You said, adding that physicians can better make dietary, exercise and medication plans based on an individual's metabolic profile, achieving true personalized treatment and further advancing the development of precision medicine.