We answer 5W1H questions on natural products using mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.

Here you can see the replicate of the famous Alexander Fleming's culture plate, which allowed him to discover penicillin. As shown here, many organisms on earth, especially microorganisms and plants, produce chemicals to fight against their biotic and abiotic challenges. We call such chemicals 'natural products' and they have been one of the important sources of drug discovery. 

Recent advances in mass spectrometry (MS) allow us to acquire enormous data about the chemical diversity of natural products, and advances in MS-related bioinformatics tools convert the data into information.  In our lab, we look into the chemical diversity of natural products made by plants and microorganisms systemically using mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics, then use the analytical result to answer various 5W1H (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How) questions.

Here are the examples of the 5W1H questions we are trying to answer:

• Who produces What? and could they be used as a drug lead? (bioactive compound discovery)

• How are natural products produced? (biosynthesis of natural products)

• How and why do organisms change the structures of chemicals produced by their competitors? (biotransformation)

• When are natural products produced? (which stresses induce the production?)

• Why do the plants and microorganisms produce natural products? (chemical ecological function)