Profiling cancer metabolism at the ‘omic’ level: a last resort or the next frontier?

When profiling metabolites, there are two general experimental paradigms: untargeted studies at the omic scale and targeted studies which usually focus on a much smaller subset of compounds. Although untargeted studies have become increasingly fashionable and are often perceived to be the cutting edge, it is important to recognize that they have limitations and are not always the better experiment. In theory, an untargeted analysis profiles all of the same metabolites as a targeted analysis, plus more. So why is more not always better? We will frame our consideration in the words of pioneering computer scientist Alan Perlis: “Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it.” [1].