Design of Experiments in metabolomics-related studies: An overview.

Nowadays, Design of Experiments (DoE) approach is a very popular methodology of planning and conducting experiments, where the effect of each tested factor on the studied responses is systematically examined and documented. The results obtained in such manner represent the design space more precisely than in the case of One-Variable-At-Time (OVAT) approach, leading to reliable and comprehensive results, while saving time and resources. Despite such a large increase of interest in this approach recently, its implementation in metabolomics research seems to be limited. Therefore, in this short overview, apart from summarizing some basic concepts of DoE, we wanted to provide a guideline for those who are about to plan metabolomics-related experiments. This overview is divided into four sections. In addition to the first section, which will introduce the history and basics of DoE, second part will provide concise description of the most popular experimental designs. Furthermore, third section will describe examples of DoE application in metabolomics and related studies. We will conclude with fourth section, providing you briefly with opportunities and trends in metabolomics research utilizing experimental design.