Czech Ministry of Education, Operation program Jan Amos Komensky, project reg. no. CZ.02.01.01/00/23_021/0008906 (BudDiag), co-funded by the European Union (2024-2028)
Research partners: Hospital České Budějovice; AnyCare s.r.o.; Chromservis s.r.o.; Univerity of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science
The BudDiag project focuses on the development and clinical translation of advanced bioanalytical tools for comprehensive metabolomic analysis, with the ultimate goal of enabling personalized diagnostics in perinatal and neonatal medicine. The scientific core of the project is built around three tightly interconnected research objectives targeting central metabolism, lipid metabolism, and steroid metabolism in clinically relevant bioliquids.
The first research objective aims to expand and validate metabolomic profiling workflows for individualized metabolic phenotyping. Using high-resolution LC-MS–based metabolomics, the project develops advanced analytical and data-processing pipelines within the Metabolite Mapper® 2.0 platform, enabling robust comparison of metabolic profiles across patient groups. Particular emphasis is placed on metabolites reflecting energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are highly relevant to early-life metabolic programming.
The second research objective addresses the bioanalysis of lipid-bound fatty acids and steroid compounds in blood-derived matrices, including serum, plasma, and dried blood spots. Novel analytical workflows are developed for the quantification of acyl lipids, free and conjugated steroids, bile acids, and vitamin D epimers, combining selective sample preparation with targeted LC-MS methodologies. These approaches enable sensitive discrimination of metabolic states associated with prematurity, hypotrophy, and perinatal complications.
The third research objective integrates metabolomic, lipidomic, and steroidomic data into clinically interpretable metabolic signatures of newborns and mothers. By combining analytical chemistry with clinical expertise, the project constructs comparative metabolic profiles that reflect physiological immaturity, pathological conditions, and adaptive metabolic responses in early postnatal life. These results form the basis for future translational diagnostics and decision-support tools.
Across all research objectives, the project emphasizes method standardization, analytical validation, and readiness for clinical implementation, including the development of SOPs compatible with accredited laboratory environments. Advanced mass spectrometry platforms (LC-HRMS and GC-MS) are complemented by bioinformatics and machine-learning approaches, enabling scalable data interpretation and future integration into digital health solutions.
By tightly linking cutting-edge bioanalytical chemistry with clinically driven research questions, BudDiag establishes a comprehensive scientific framework for metabolomics-based personalized diagnostics. The project lays the groundwork for follow-up translational and commercial activities while generating high-impact scientific outputs at the interface of analytical chemistry, metabolism, and clinical medicine.
