2 – Metabolomics Sample Replicates and Volumes

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Untargeted or Targeted

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Replicates & Volumes

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Handling & Storage

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Workflows

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ID Confidence Levels

Sample Quantity

The table below shows general guidelines and our preferences for minimal sample quantities required for common sample types.

Sample Replicates

For samples that will be directly compared to each other, sample preparation and measurements should be performed at the same time. This optimizes the amount of information collected for each assay and measures molecules of interest using the same conditions.

Two examples of experimental design (dose-response and temporal) recommendations in regard to minimum controls and biological replicates for mass spectrometry analysis are shown below.

In addition, for each project CIT staff pools together samples used for quality control (equal volume amounts of each sample) and injects these for analysis prior to and after every 10 individual sample injections. These quality control samples are used to assess instrument variability, data quality and injection volume variations. The number of required technical replicates will vary based on experimental design to ensure data quality is high and variations in samples owing to instrumentation variation is minimized.

Read our other tips to get started with metabolomics analyses:
1. Discovery or Validation?
3. Sample Handling and Storage
4. General Workflows at the CIT
5. Identification Confidence Levels