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<!doctype html>
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  <title>Research | Huan Lab</title>
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  <header class="site-header">
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      <strong>Huan Lab</strong>
      <span>Metabolomics and Exposomics at UBC</span>
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      <a href="research.html">Research</a>
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        <a href="people.html" aria-haspopup="true">People</a>
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          <a href="tao-huan.html">Tao Huan</a>
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      <a href="publications.html">Publications</a>
      <a href="contact.html">Contact</a>
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  <main>
    <section class="page-hero page-hero--research">
      <div class="hl-wrap">
        <p class="hl-eyebrow">Research</p>
        <h1>From high-resolution mass spectra to chemical and biological insights</h1>
        <p>We develop analytical and computational technologies that make metabolomics and exposomics more sensitive, scalable, interpretable, and biologically useful.</p>
      </div>
    </section>

    <section class="page-section">
      <div class="hl-wrap page-intro">
        <h2>Research Vision</h2>
        <p>Metabolomics profiles the complete set of small molecules in biological and environmental systems. These molecules provide a direct readout of metabolism, exposure, physiology, and disease state, making metabolomics one of the most powerful omics approaches in the post-genome era.</p>
        <p>The Huan Lab integrates chemistry, biology, computer science, and environmental science to advance technologies for the comprehensive, sensitive, and high-throughput detection, quantification, and characterization of small-molecule chemicals in complex biological and environmental systems.</p>
      </div>
    </section>

    <section class="page-section research-cloud-section">
      <div class="hl-wrap research-cloud">
        <div class="research-cloud__head">
          <p class="hl-eyebrow hl-eyebrow--dark">Publication landscape</p>
          <h2>Recurring themes across the archive</h2>
          <p>Keywords sized by how strongly they appear across the lab's publication list.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="research-tag-cloud" aria-label="Publication keyword cloud">
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--xl research-tag--blue" href="publications.html">Metabolomics</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--xl research-tag--green" href="publications.html">Mass spectrometry</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--lg research-tag--gold" href="publications.html">Cancer biology</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--lg research-tag--blue" href="publications.html">Environmental chemistry</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--lg research-tag--green" href="publications.html">Exposome</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--md research-tag--blue" href="publications.html">Untargeted analysis</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--md research-tag--green" href="publications.html">LC-MS</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--md research-tag--gold" href="publications.html">MS/MS</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--md research-tag--blue" href="publications.html">Machine learning</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--md research-tag--green" href="publications.html">Data processing</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--md research-tag--gold" href="publications.html">Chemical isotope labeling</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--sm research-tag--blue" href="publications.html">Bile acids</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--sm research-tag--green" href="publications.html">Lipidomics</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--sm research-tag--gold" href="publications.html">Microbiome</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--sm research-tag--blue" href="publications.html">Biomarkers</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--sm research-tag--green" href="publications.html">Annotation</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--sm research-tag--gold" href="publications.html">Normalization</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--sm research-tag--blue" href="publications.html">Metabolite identification</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--sm research-tag--green" href="publications.html">High-resolution MS</a>
          <a class="research-tag research-tag--sm research-tag--gold" href="publications.html">Water quality</a>
        </div>
      </div>
    </section>

    <section class="page-section research-aims-section">
      <div class="hl-wrap research-aims">
        <div>
          <p class="hl-eyebrow hl-eyebrow--dark">Research aims</p>
          <h2>Building the next generation of small-molecule omics</h2>
        </div>
        <div class="research-aim-list">
          <article><strong>01</strong><span>Systematically understand, evaluate, and improve mass spectrometry for omics-scale analysis of small molecules.</span></article>
          <article><strong>02</strong><span>Develop computational solutions that automate and improve mass spectrometry data processing and interpretation.</span></article>
          <article><strong>03</strong><span>Adapt cutting-edge metabolomics to reveal biology at the metabolite level, including cell metabolism and protein-metabolite interactions.</span></article>
        </div>
      </div>
    </section>

    <section class="page-section page-section--soft research-platform-section">
      <div class="hl-wrap card-grid card-grid--two">
        <article class="info-card">
          <span class="card-kicker">Platform 01</span>
          <h2>Next-Generation Mass Spectrometry</h2>
          <p>We improve MS acquisition, sample preparation, sensitivity, throughput, and quality control for omics-scale measurement of metabolites, lipids, and exposure-related chemicals.</p>
        </article>
        <article class="info-card">
          <span class="card-kicker">Platform 02</span>
          <h2>AI-Assisted Data Processing</h2>
          <p>We develop computational approaches for feature detection, alignment, normalization, batch correction, annotation, and confidence scoring in high-dimensional mass spectrometry datasets.</p>
        </article>
        <article class="info-card">
          <span class="card-kicker">Platform 03</span>
          <h2>Molecular Annotation and Discovery</h2>
          <p>We combine spectral evidence, chemical knowledge, databases, and machine learning to prioritize unknown metabolites and environmental chemicals for downstream validation.</p>
        </article>
        <article class="info-card">
          <span class="card-kicker">Platform 04</span>
          <h2>Biological and Environmental Applications</h2>
          <p>We apply metabolomics and exposomics to collaborative studies in disease biology, microbiome research, environmental health, and chemical exposure.</p>
        </article>
      </div>
    </section>

    <section class="page-section">
      <div class="hl-wrap research-pillar">
        <div class="research-pillar-media research-pillar-media--analytical"></div>
        <article>
          <p class="hl-eyebrow hl-eyebrow--dark">Analytical Chemistry</p>
          <h2>Global detection and quantification from limited samples</h2>
          <p>The first challenge in metabolomics is to globally detect and quantify metabolites across broad concentration ranges and chemical structures in complex biological systems. LC-MS is a powerful platform for this work, and the lab develops integrated workflows that can perform both metabolomics and lipidomics from limited biological sample quantities.</p>
          <p>We also create new data acquisition modes and quality-control strategies to improve sensitivity, throughput, and metabolomics data quality.</p>
        </article>
      </div>
    </section>

    <section class="page-section page-section--soft">
      <div class="hl-wrap research-pillar research-pillar--reverse">
        <article>
          <p class="hl-eyebrow hl-eyebrow--dark">Computational Biology</p>
          <h2>Extracting biologically-meaningful features from high-dimensional LC-MS data</h2>
          <p>Raw LC-MS data contain a large number of low-abundance and chromatographically complex metabolic features. Conventional peak-picking algorithms can miss or distort these signals, creating a major big-data challenge for metabolomics.</p>
          <p>The Huan Lab develops bioinformatic strategies to extract, recognize, normalize, and evaluate metabolic features more comprehensively. We also address overlooked quantitative issues that affect downstream statistical analysis, biomarker discovery, and biological interpretation.</p>
        </article>
        <div class="research-pillar-media research-pillar-media--computational"></div>
      </div>
    </section>

    <section class="page-section">
      <div class="hl-wrap research-pillar">
        <div class="research-pillar-media research-pillar-media--machine"></div>
        <article>
          <p class="hl-eyebrow hl-eyebrow--dark">Machine Learning</p>
          <h2>AI-assisted annotation of unknown metabolites and chemicals</h2>
          <p>Metabolite identification remains one of the central challenges in mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Accurate-mass searching alone can return many possible chemical matches, while reference MS/MS spectra remain limited because many authentic standards are unavailable.</p>
          <p>To address this gap, we develop computational and machine-learning tools that integrate MS and MS/MS evidence, chemical knowledge, and predicted spectral libraries to improve metabolite identification and unknown chemical prioritization.</p>
        </article>
      </div>
    </section>

    <section class="page-section page-section--soft">
      <div class="hl-wrap research-pillar research-pillar--reverse">
        <article>
          <p class="hl-eyebrow hl-eyebrow--dark">Health and Environmental Applications</p>
          <h2>Applying metabolomics and exposomics to biological and environmental questions</h2>
          <p>Our analytical and bioinformatic developments are driven by biological and environmental problems raised through collaboration. The lab works with researchers across disease biology, microbiome science, environmental health, exposure science, and chemical risk assessment.</p>
          <p>Recent work connects method development to high-impact applications in Nature Chemical Biology, Cancer Discovery, Cell Metabolism, Environmental Health Perspectives, and Environmental Science &amp; Technology.</p>
        </article>
        <div class="research-pillar-media research-pillar-media--application"></div>
      </div>
    </section>

    <section class="page-section research-sponsors-section">
      <div class="hl-wrap research-sponsors">
        <p class="hl-eyebrow hl-eyebrow--dark">Sponsors and support</p>
        <h2>Supported by competitive funding and collaborative research programs</h2>
        <p>The Huan Lab's research program is supported by sponsors and partners that advance analytical chemistry, metabolomics, exposomics, environmental science, and human health research.</p>
        <div class="funding-panel" aria-label="Funding partners">
          <div class="funding-logo-grid">
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/british-columbia.png" alt="British Columbia logo"><span>Provincial research and innovation support</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/cfi.png" alt="Canada Foundation for Innovation logo"><span>Research infrastructure and innovation</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/chair.jpg" alt="Canada Research Chairs logo"><span>Canada Research Chair in Metabolomics and Exposomics</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/nfrf.jpg" alt="New Frontiers in Research Fund logo"><span>Interdisciplinary high-risk research</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/mitacs.png" alt="Mitacs logo"><span>Research training and innovation partnerships</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/biotalent.png" alt="BioTalent Canada logo"><span>Skills growth in Canada's bio-economy</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/nserc.png" alt="NSERC logo"><span>Natural sciences and engineering research</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/ubc.png" alt="The University of British Columbia logo"><span>Institutional research support</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/tmic.png" alt="The Metabolomics Innovation Centre logo"><span>Metabolomics technology platform</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/genome-canada.jpg" alt="Genome Canada logo"><span>Genomics-enabled research and innovation</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/genome-alberta.png" alt="Genome Alberta logo"><span>Provincial genomics research partner</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/genome-bc.png" alt="Genome British Columbia logo"><span>Genomics research in British Columbia</span></article>
            <article class="funding-logo-card"><img src="images/funding/cihr-irsc.jpg" alt="CIHR IRSC logo"><span>Canadian Institutes of Health Research</span></article>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
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