The invention relates to methods for determining the likelihood that a patient with mild cognitive impairment develops Alzheimer's disease based on the determination of the levels of different metabolites, including amino acids, proteins and lipids. The invention also provides a method for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment in a subject based on the determination of the above metabolites.

The invention provides methods for analyzing cardiovascular disease risk. Methods of the invention provide a probability of an individual developing cardiovascular disease based on parameters including blood levels of sdLDL-C, ApoA-I in α-1 HDL, and Lp(a) along with information about the patient's age and history of blood pressure treatment, smoking, and diabetes. Methods of the invention do not rely on standard risk factor measurements, such as CRP, total cholesterol, body mass index, weight, triglycerides, and the like.

A computer-based method for determining a prediction of risk and/or an indication of extent of coronary stenosis in a human subject, comprises the steps of: (a) inputting the level of at least one cholesteryl ester measured in a blood sample collected from said subject; and then (b) inputting the age and gender of said subject; and then (c) generating in said computer from said cholesteryl ester level input, said age input and said gender input a prediction of risk and/or an indication of extent of coronary stenosis in said subject. Systems and methods are also described.

A method of analysis using mass spectrometry and/or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed comprising: (a) using a first device to generate smoke, aerosol or vapour from a target in vitro or ex vivo cell population; (b) mass analysing and/or ion mobility analysing said smoke, aerosol or vapour, or ions derived therefrom, in order to obtain spectrometric data; and (c) analysing said spectrometric data in order to identify and/or characterise said target cell population or one or more cells and/or compounds present in said target cell population.

Using NMR/MS based metabonomics and targeted lipidomics approaches the inventors have explored the metabolic phenotypes of aging and longevity in a cohort including centenarians, elderly and young adults. The inventors have identified biomarkers for a reduced risk of developing ageing related chronic inflammatory disorders and propose a method of diagnosing a lifestyle that allows delaying and/or avoiding ageing related chronic inflammatory disorders using 9-oxo-HODE as biomarker.

The present invention is related to a method for diagnosing Farber's disease in a subject, wherein the method comprises detecting C26 ceramide in a sample from the subject.

A method of ion imaging is disclosed that includes automatically sampling a plurality of different locations on a sample using a front device which is arranged and adapted to generate aerosol, smoke or vapour from the sample. Mass spectral data and/or ion mobility data corresponding to each location is obtained and the obtained mass spectral data and/or ion mobility data is used to construct, train or improved a sample classification model.

A method is disclosed comprising providing a biological sample on a swab, directing a spray of charged droplets onto a surface of the swab in order to generate a plurality of analyte ions, and analysing the analyte ions.

The invention relates to a method for selecting a glycopolypeptide that binds to a target protein, the method including the steps of providing a pool of glycopolypeptides fused via puromycin linker to an encoding mRNA-cDNA duplex; combining the pool with a target protein to form a mixture; incubating the mixture for a period of time sufficient to allow any target protein to bind to one or more of the glycopolypeptides, thereby forming glycopolypeptide-target protein complexes; and isolating from the mixture the glycopolypeptide-target protein complexes, thereby identifying a plurality of selected glycopolypeptides.

A method of analysis using mass and/or ion mobility spectrometry or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed comprising: using a first device to generate aerosol, smoke or vapour from one or more regions of a first target of biological material; and el mass and/or ion mobility analysing and/or ion mobility analysing said aerosol, smoke, or vapour, or ions derived therefrom so as to obtain first spectrometric data. The method may use an ambient ionisation method.