Science Inventory

Establishing a framework for best practices for quality assurance and quality control in untargeted metabolomics

Citation:

Mosley, J., T. Schock, C. Beecher, W. Dunn, J. Kuligowski, M. Lewis, G. Theodoridis, C. Ulmer Holland, D. Vuckovic, I. Wilson, AND K. Zanetti. Establishing a framework for best practices for quality assurance and quality control in untargeted metabolomics. Metabolomics. Plenum Press, New York, NY, 20(2):20, (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-023-02080-0

Impact/Purpose:

Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) best practices for monitoring metabolomic data quality are being promoted to increase confidence for the use of metabolomics in regulatory toxicity assessments. While earnestly in development, these QA and QC best practices have not reached general agreement globally nor a mature status. Therefore, there is a critical need to standardize, disseminate, implement, and provide training in QA and QC best practices in untargeted metabolomics studies to ensure high quality data generation, analysis, and reporting. To this end, the Metabolomics Quality Assurance and Quality Control Consortium (mQACC) focuses on the standardization of QA/QC practices and protocols with community-driven activities that aim to identify, catalogue, harmonize and disseminate current best practices in untargeted metabolomics. A present goal of mQACC is to develop a working strategy, or roadmap, that guides actions and progress to provide a framework in which mQACC can harmonize and disseminate current best QA/QC practice guidance and encourage widespread adoption of these essential QA/QC activities.

Description:

Background: Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) practices are key tenets that facilitate study and data quality across all applications of untargeted metabolomics. These important practices will strengthen this field and accelerate its success. The Best Practices Working Group (WG) within the Metabolomics Quality Assurance and Quality Control Consortium (mQACC) focuses on community use of QA/QC practices and protocols and aims to identify, catalogue, harmonize, and disseminate current best practices in untargeted metabolomics through community-driven activities. Aim of review: A present goal of the Best Practices WG is to develop a working strategy, or roadmap, that guides the actions of practitioners and progress in the field. The framework in which mQACC operates promotes the harmonization and dissemination of current best QA/QC practice guidance and encourages widespread adoption of these essential QA/QC activities for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Key scientific concepts of review: Community engagement and QA/QC information gathering activities have been occurring through conference workshops, virtual and in-person interactive forum discussions, and community surveys. Seven principal QC stages prioritized by internal discussions of the Best Practices WG have received participant input, feedback and discussion. We outline these stages, each involving a multitude of activities, as the framework for identifying QA/QC best practices. The ultimate planned product of these endeavors is a "living guidance" document of current QA/QC best practices for untargeted metabolomics that will grow and change with the evolution of the field.