Discover how research groups are leveraging the power of SIRIUS to elevate their metabolomics data analysis across various fields, including drug discovery, diagnostics, food industry, environmental toxicology, and materials science. Explore exciting discoveries and find out how our tools can empower you to uncover the next groundbreaking molecule. For an extensive list of discoveries, click here.

SIRIUS is setting new standards in molecular identification, enabling the elucidation of previously uncharted compounds, and making a valuable contribution to both science and industry. Our commitment is to continue improving SIRIUS and shaping the future of metabolomics research by initiating new research projects to further this mission.

Discoveries

Thawing permafrost: Another step towards assessing the consequences

Thawing permafrost, caused by climate change, releases stored carbon into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming. The enzyme latch hypothesis suggests that low-oxygen conditions in wetlands slow down enzymatic polyphenol degradation and carbon release. But are oxygen-dependent phenol oxidases really the only enzymes that microbial communities have in their arsenal? Or should we perhaps take a closer (metatranscriptomic and metabolomic) look at the microbially catalysed carbon cycle?

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Microbial breakdown, facilitated by microorganisms like bacteria and fungi, plays a pivotal role in decomposing organic matter. (Image by Thomas Breher on Pixabay)
Discoveries

SIRIUS on the body farm: Investigating microbial decomposers

Microbial decomposers break down human remains, recycling nutrients and influencing ecosystem dynamics. Is there a universal microbial decomposer network that assembles in response to mammalian remains? How does the network and the cadaver-derived nutrient pool change during the decomposition process and can this microbial community change be used for predicting time since death for forensic purposes?

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Discoveries

Life at the bottom of the sea: Chemical classes of exometabolites investigated with CANOPUS

Examining seawater presents an enduring challenge due to the complexity of molecules present in trace amounts and their dynamic nature. The lowest ecological region of the sea is inhabited by holobionts, such as sponges, which significantly shape the marine chemical landscape through the release of diverse exometabolites. In addressing the need to capture these molecules immediately after release, a novel underwater device was developed, allowing in situ collection and enrichment without harming organisms. To test the device, researchers investigated exometabolites of sponges in the Mediterranean sea using untargeted mass spectrometry and CANOPUS to understand the chemical class distribution. This approach holds promise for studying endangered species in marine protected areas, assessing seasonal variations in exometabolite production, and monitoring toxins or human impacts in the marine environment.

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Newborn baby feet
Discoveries

Long-term storage in biobanks: Identifying unstable metabolites with CSI:FingerID and CANOPUS

Neonatal dried blood spots are not only important for newborn screening but also a powerful source for investigating the potential metabolic etiologies of various diseases using untargeted LC-MS-based metabolomics. So far it is unclear whether the metabolites in those samples remain stable in storage. CSI:FingerID and CANOPUS help to investigate the stability of metabolites and classes of molecules.

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Radula complanata
Discoveries

A liverwort under stress: compound classification with CANOPUS to detect metabolic shifts

Liverworts are chemically diverse plants with unique cell organelles responsible for the synthesis and storage of specialized metabolites. Untargeted metabolomics was used to analyze the metabolic stress response of liverworts without isolating individual metabolites. CANOPUS classified the affected compounds, and helped to map the biochemical pathways of the unique stress response of liverworts compared to vascular plants.

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Discoveries

Scouring the oceans: Revealing the chemical potential of marine microorganisms with SIRIUS

Marine microorganisms offer a rich source of bioactive compounds with unique structures and remarkable biological activity. This makes them an important resource for the search for new therapeutic compounds, which is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. To narrow down the search to the most promising microorganisms, SIRIUS is nearly doubling the number of natural products annotated to estimate the chemical potential of microbial extracts.

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