Alertness CRC discovers molecules linked to sleep loss

3 Minute read

The solution

Researchers at the Alertness CRC approached Metabolomics Australia for help to identify biomarkers of sleep loss. Metabolomics is the study of the small molecules involved in metabolism – the chemical processes that sustain life. The researchers reasoned that metabolites, the substances produced during metabolism, might represent reliable biomarkers of sleep loss.

The two teams spent about a year scoping the project. Then they ran an experiment in which they kept 23 participants awake for 40 hours. The researchers took samples of the participants’ blood every two hours.

Metabolomics Australia staff advised the researchers on the best way to collect and prepare samples for metabolomic analysis. The staff analysed more than 400 blood samples and found around 1000 different metabolites. To do this, they used a technique called liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Using a series of systematic decisions, the researchers narrowed down the 1000 metabolites. They found a smaller group of metabolites that together predict sleep loss with high accuracy. They also developed an algorithm to weight each metabolite according to its importance in predicting the sleep state.

The Alertness CRC filed a provisional patent application covering the number and weighted combination of metabolites. The researchers are now working with Metabolomics Australia staff to identify the individual molecules.

The platform

Metabolomics Australia offers high-throughput detection and analysis of biological samples – from humans, other animals, plants, and the environment. The staff also provide the expert advice to collect and analyse samples, design studies and fully exploit the results.

Metabolomics Australia is a member of Bioplatforms Australia. The Victorian node of Metabolomics Australia – one of only four nodes nationwide – is based at the University of Melbourne’s Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute.

Techniques used in this project include:

• liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Liquid chromatography physically separates the components in a fluid. Mass spectrometry identifies the mass and charge of each component, enabling it to be identified.

Partner

Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity (Alertness CRC)

Publication

Grant LK et al (2019) Circadian and wake-dependent changes in human plasma polar metabolites during prolonged wakefulness: A preliminary analysis. Scientific Reports 9(1): 4428. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-40353-8

Patent

AU2019901214, filed 9 April 2019

Image: Metabolomics Australia