The IFR Metabolomics Team

Gwen Le Gall

I have 14 years expertise in the field of metabolite analysis by NMR, MS and chemometrics.

My subjects of interest are diverse. I started by analysing fruit purees by NMR in order to authenticate pure red fruits (strawberry and raspberry) from those adulterated with cheaper fruits (plum, apple, pear). Similarly, I studied orange juice, green tea, tomato, potato, arabidopsis, dry-cured ham, red wine and broccoli. Lately, my interests broadened further to nutritional and microbial metabolomics. I have now expertise in profiling polar and non polar metabolites from most biological matrices (urine, blood plasma, other tissues and faecal waters of mammalian origin) using either 1H NMR or reverse phase or HILIC LC/MS or lipidomics-based LC/MS. I also profile mammalian cells intra- and extra-cellular contents and the exometabolome profiles of many bacteria. I am well experienced in data processing, deconvolution and multi and univariate analysis.

Mark Philo

I have 21 years in food science research.  I spent 12 years at the Central Science Laboratory analysing organic contaminants in foods from packaging migration such as phthalate esters and acrylamide.  I spent another 4 years at Cefas where I monitored the marine environments for organotins and brominated flame retardants.  I also developed methods for the analysis of PAH metabolites in crustacean urine and fish bile and the analysis of paralytic shellfish poisoning in shellfish.

Since arriving at IFR, I am responsible for the mass spectrometry facilities in the metabolomics group.  I am involved in the team metabolomic projects, but also extend the use of the mass spectrometers to the proteomics and phytochemicals departments.