Cambridge Omics Centre Adds Untargeted Metabolomics Service 2026

Key Points

• Novogene Europe has added an untargeted metabolomics service at its Cambridge omics centre, extending capabilities beyond genomics and transcriptomics.
• The service enables comprehensive small-molecule profiling and integration with genomic, transcriptomic and microbiome data to link molecular measurements to biological function.
• Unlike targeted approaches, untargeted metabolomics seeks to detect as many metabolites as possible, supporting discovery of new biochemical changes and disease-related pathways.
• The workflow uses a Thermo Scientific Vanquish UHPLC system coupled to an Orbitrap Exploris 120 mass spectrometer, supported by an extensive reference library for identification.
• The launch complements Novogene’s existing genomics, transcriptomics, sequencing and bioinformatics services, allowing integrated multiomics datasets from a single provider.
• This is the first stage of a broader capability expansion at Novogene Europe’s Cambridge omics centre, located within the Bio-Innovation Centre in Cambridge’s life science cluster.
• Tingting Zhou, vice president of Novogene Europe, highlighted growing customer need to connect genomic and transcriptomic data with functional biochemical insight.
• Dr David Chaplin, general manager of the Bio-Innovation Centre, welcomed Novogene’s continued investment and new metabolomics services for researchers and companies.
• Novogene says the launch reflects its strategy to support the full research workflow, from experimental design to biological interpretation, as multiomics demand grows.
• The development strengthens Cambridge’s position as a centre for life science innovation by bringing advanced omics capabilities closer to academic and industrial researchers.

Cambridge (Cambridge Tribune) July 14, 2026 – Omics landscape has been expanded as Novogene Europe launches an untargeted metabolomics service at its Cambridge omics centre, marking the company’s move from a sequencing-focused provider into a broader multiomics partner for academic, biotechnology and biopharmaceutical research.

What does Novogene Europe’s new untargeted metabolomics service offer Cambridge researchers?

Novogene Europe has expanded its multiomics research services with the launch of an untargeted metabolomics service at its Cambridge omics centre, extending the company’s analytical capabilities beyond genomics and transcriptomics to include comprehensive metabolite profiling. The service allows researchers to investigate the small molecules produced during cellular metabolism and integrate these data with genomic, transcriptomic and microbiome datasets. Because metabolites represent the products of cellular activity, metabolomics can provide insight into the biochemical processes that underlie physiology and disease, helping researchers relate molecular measurements to biological function.

As reported by a Novogene Europe spokesperson in the company’s announcement, the new service is designed to meet rising demand for integrated multiomics approaches that connect different molecular layers. “As research questions have become more complex, customers have increasingly needed to connect genomic and transcriptomic information with functional biochemical insight,” said Tingting Zhou, vice president of Novogene Europe. “Metabolomics has added a powerful layer to this picture, helping researchers explore disease mechanisms, microbiome interactions, treatment response and pathway biology,” she added.

How does untargeted metabolomics differ from targeted approaches?

Untargeted metabolomics differs from targeted approaches by seeking to detect as many metabolites as possible within a sample rather than measure a predefined group of compounds. This discovery-based strategy enables researchers to identify previously unrecognised biochemical changes and explore metabolic pathways associated with disease, treatment response, host-microbiome interactions and biomarker discovery.

The company said the service complemented its existing capabilities in genomics, transcriptomics, sequencing and bioinformatics, allowing researchers to generate integrated multiomics datasets from a single research partner. Such approaches have become increasingly important because complex biological processes rarely depend on a single molecular layer. Instead, researchers often combine genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic information to build a more complete picture of cellular function.

What technology platform underpins the new metabolomics workflow?

Novogene Europe said the workflow was built around a Thermo Scientific Vanquish ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography system coupled with an Orbitrap Exploris 120 high-resolution accurate-mass mass spectrometer. Liquid chromatography separates complex mixtures of metabolites before mass spectrometry measures their mass-to-charge ratios with high precision, allowing researchers to detect and identify hundreds to thousands of metabolites across suitable biological sample types. The platform also draws on an extensive reference library to support metabolite identification and downstream biological interpretation.

This technical foundation places the new service within a well-established class of high-resolution metabolomics platforms used in academic and industrial research. By combining UHPLC separation with high-resolution mass spectrometry and a curated reference library, the platform aims to deliver both broad metabolite coverage and confident identification.

Why is Cambridge central to Novogene Europe’s multiomics expansion?

The metabolomics platform marks the first stage of a broader expansion of scientific capabilities at Novogene Europe’s Cambridge omics centre, located within the Bio-Innovation Centre in Cambridge. The facility forms part of one of the UK’s best-established life science clusters, bringing advanced omics technologies closer to academic researchers as well as biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies.

“Cambridge has a long-standing reputation as a centre for life science innovation, and access to advanced omics capabilities has formed an important part of that ecosystem,” said Dr David Chaplin, general manager of the Bio-Innovation Centre.

“We welcomed Novogene Europe’s continued investment in the Cambridge omics centre and its development of metabolomics services to support researchers and companies working at the forefront of biological discovery,”

he added.

By situating the new service within the Bio-Innovation Centre, Novogene Europe is positioning itself alongside other leading life science organisations in Cambridge, strengthening local access to integrated omics support. This location also aligns with the company’s strategy to provide integrated support across the research workflow, from experimental design and data generation to bioinformatics and biological interpretation.

How does this launch reflect Novogene’s evolving role in multiomics?

The company said the launch has also reflected Novogene’s continued evolution from a trusted sequencing service provider into a broader multiomics partner. During its 15th anniversary year, the company has expanded its capabilities in Cambridge and continues to support academic, biotechnology and biopharmaceutical researchers with high-quality data generation, bioinformatics and scientific expertise across Europe.

Novogene Europe said the launch reflected its strategy to provide integrated support across the research workflow, from experimental design and data generation to bioinformatics and biological interpretation, as demand for multiomics approaches continues to grow across academic and industrial life science research. This strategic shift mirrors broader trends in life sciences, where researchers increasingly rely on integrated datasets spanning multiple molecular layers to address complex biological questions.

Background of the development

The untargeted metabolomics service builds on Novogene Europe’s existing presence in Cambridge, where the company already operates an omics centre focused on genomics, transcriptomics and related sequencing-based services. The launch represents a deliberate extension of that centre’s capabilities, moving from a primarily sequencing-focused model to a multiomics model that includes functional biochemical measurement.

This development aligns with wider industry trends in which genomics and transcriptomics are increasingly combined with proteomics and metabolomics to build more complete models of cellular function and disease mechanisms. The involvement of the Bio-Innovation Centre and the placement of the service within one of the UK’s leading life science clusters further underscore the strategic importance of Cambridge as a hub for advanced omics research.

Prediction: How will this development affect Cambridge’s research and biotech community?

The introduction of untargeted metabolomics at Novogene Europe’s Cambridge omics centre is likely to increase local access to integrated multiomics services, reducing the need for academic and industrial researchers to engage multiple providers for different layers of molecular data. This should streamline project timelines, improve data consistency and lower logistical complexity for studies that require genomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic information.

For Cambridge-based universities, biotech start-ups and biopharmaceutical companies, the new service could accelerate research into disease mechanisms, microbiome interactions and treatment responses, potentially strengthening the region’s pipeline of innovations and translational projects. Over time, the availability of a single provider offering end-to-end multiomics support may also encourage more complex, data-rich study designs, reinforcing Cambridge’s reputation as a centre for advanced life science research and attracting further investment in omics-related infrastructure.