Figure 1. Applications of faecal metabolomics in IBD research. Overview of the potential of faecal metabolomics for the discovery of novel biomarkers and the metabolic pathways involved in disease development. Metabolite-based biomarkers could assist in the early diagnosis of disease and in monitoring disease activity to predict future relapses. Molecular profiles might also be useful for patient stratification and the design of personalised treatment strategies. Furthermore, metabolomics data provide complementary information to other omics datasets, which might be essential for understanding disease triggers. BA, bile acid; IBD, inflammatory bowel diseases; SCFA, short-chain fatty acid.