The Unit for Veterinary Metabolomics was founded in 2025 with Jennifer Kirwan as its first director to promote, improve and develop the use of metabolomics in the clinical veterinary world. As part of this, we are developing a collection of veterinary specific datasets to enable veterinary research to progress in this field and aid translation to the clinic. 

Towards this end, we are researching better, faster and more robust ways to diagnose disease, predict outcome and stratify subtypes of disease or responses to medication using metabolomics and associated methods. To reach these goals, we are developing new analytical and bioinformatical methodologies and analysing unusual matrices. We focus on mass spectrometry analyses including LC-MS (our major speciality), metabolomic imaging, GC-MS and the development of robust bioinformatic tools for easier quality management and data processing and analysis of metabolomics data. 

We have a specialist focus on the metabolite linkages between organ systems, in particular, the role of the microbiome-metabolome signalling pathway in health, inflammation and infection.  

Our research is highly collaborative; we are delighted for you to contact us if you would like to include metabolomics as part of a larger research project.