Cutting edge Seminar

 

Speaker: Yuta Matsuoka (Associate Professor, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology, Kyoto University)

Title: “From Bodily Odor to Molecular Diagnosis”

Date&Time: 14 October (wed)　12：00-13：00

Venue: Conference Room(1F), IMEG, Kumamoto University  On site + Zoom

※This seminar can also be attended through ZOOM. Please check the URL on “S-HIGO Cutting-Edge Seminar A, B” at Moodle.

https://md.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/course/view.php?id=136783

 

Abstract:

The relationship between human odor and disease has long attracted attention. The molecular basis of such odors is volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from the body. VOCs are low-molecular-weight organic compounds generated through diverse metabolic reactions and emitted as breath or skin gas via alveolar capillaries and sebaceous glands. Because disease onset is accompanied by alterations in systemic metabolism, disease-specific VOC profiles may provide valuable non-invasive biomarkers.
However, VOCs are highly susceptible to loss during sampling and analysis, as well as contamination from exogenous compounds. Therefore, dedicated analytical platforms distinct from those used for conventional liquid-phase metabolites are required.

To address these challenges, we have developed mass spectrometry-based technologies for sensitive VOC analysis and applied multiscale approaches spanning molecules, cells, animals, and humans. Through these efforts, we aim to establish disease metabolism monitoring strategies based on bio-gas VOC profiling.
Recently, we identified volatile oxidized lipids as biomarkers for non-invasive detection of lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in vivo, and advanced their clinical application[1]. In this lecture, I will introduce our recent progress in developing technologies to detect disease-associated metabolic alterations through body odor.