This innovative approach involved collecting data on more than 2,000 metabolic products for each substance, allowing researchers to compare these changes to untreated cells and gain insights into each substance's mode of action.

Utilizing high-throughput metabolomics and mass spectrometry, the researchers were able to identify unexpected effects of existing medications, potentially aiding in drug repurposing and accelerating the drug discovery process.

The results revealed that commercially available drugs influence cell metabolism more significantly than previously understood, uncovering new modes of action for common medications.

On January 28, 2025, researchers from the University of Basel introduced a novel method known as high-throughput metabolomics to test the impact of over 1,500 active substances on cellular metabolism simultaneously.

A notable finding from the study was that tiratricol, a medication for a rare thyroid condition, also impacts nucleotide production, suggesting its potential use in cancer therapy to inhibit tumor growth.

Professor Mattia Zampieri emphasized that understanding how active substances affect cell metabolism can significantly accelerate medication development and provide insights into potential side effects and drug interactions.

The comprehensive data generated from this research can aid in training artificial intelligence for the design of new medications, aiming to match patient-specific metabolic profiles with suitable drug candidates.

The study, published in Nature Biotechnology, aims to enhance understanding of how active substances affect cell metabolism, potentially leading to the acceleration of medication development.

Under the guidance of lead author Dr. Laurentz Schuhknecht, the research team conducted experiments using thousands of cell culture wells, treating cells with various substances and measuring changes in metabolites.

Further research is ongoing to explore how the human body processes these active substances, which affects their efficacy and interactions, complementing the findings on metabolic interventions.