Single-cell metabolomics: where are we and where are we going?

Abstract

Single-cell metabolomics with mass spectrometry enables a large variety of metabolites to be simultaneously detected from individual cells, without any preselection or labelling, to map phenotypes on the single cell level. Although the field is relatively young, it is steadily progressing with an increasing number of active research groups, techniques for cell sampling and ionization, tools for data analysis, and applications to answer important biomedical and environmental questions. In addition, the community shows great creativity in overcoming challenges associated with low sample volumes, a wide range of metabolite species, and large datasets. Here, we briefly discuss publications since 2019 and aim to provide the unfamiliar reader with an insight into the field and the expert reader with an update on the current status of the field.