Prof. Illa Tea is a distinguished analytical chemist at the Institut des Sciences Analytiques, Villeurbanne, France, renowned for her pioneering contributions to stable isotope analysis and its biomedical applications. With a prolific record of 59 scientific publications and nearly 2,000 citations across 1,600 documents, she has established herself as a leading researcher at the intersection of analytical chemistry, metabolomics, and clinical biochemistry. Her work focuses on the use of isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), particularly GC-C-IRMS, to elucidate natural isotopic variations in biomolecules such as fatty acids, amino acids, and proteins, providing valuable insights into metabolic processes underlying cancer and other diseases. Dr. Tea’s recent research has advanced understanding of the carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 isotopomics of fatty acids in tumor characterization and clinical nutrition, exemplified by studies on breast cancer tissues and the metabolic effects of n-3 fatty acid supplementation. Her influential review on stable isotope abundance and fractionation in human diseases has become a key reference for integrating isotopic signatures into medical diagnostics and physiological studies. Collaborating with over 180 co-authors worldwide, Dr. Tea has played an instrumental role in bridging fundamental isotope science with translational health research, highlighting the potential of natural isotopic markers as non-invasive indicators of disease states and therapeutic outcomes. Her interdisciplinary and collaborative approach has not only advanced the methodological frontiers of analytical chemistry but also contributed significantly to biomedical innovation and personalized medicine. Through her sustained research excellence and leadership in isotope-based metabolomics, Dr. Illa Tea continues to shape global understanding of metabolic heterogeneity and the biochemical pathways that define human health and disease.
Profiles: Scopus | Google Scholar
Featured Publications
1. Oikonomopoulou, K., Hansen, K. K., Saifeddine, M., Tea, I., Blaber, M., Blaber, S. I., … Diamandis, E. P. (2006). Proteinase-activated receptors, targets for kallikrein signaling. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 281(43), 32095–32112.
Cited by: 291
2. Oikonomopoulou, K., Hansen, K. K., Saifeddine, M., Vergnolle, N., Tea, I., … Diamandis, E. P. (2006). Kallikrein-mediated cell signalling: targeting proteinase-activated receptors (PARs). Biological Chemistry, 387(6), 817–824.
Cited by: 153
3. Dumez, J. N., Milani, J., Vuichoud, B., Bornet, A., Lalande-Martin, J., Tea, I., Yon, M., … Bodenhausen, G. (2015). Hyperpolarized NMR of plant and cancer cell extracts at natural abundance. Analyst, 140(17), 5860–5863.
Cited by: 110
4. De Luca, A., Boisseau, N., Tea, I., Louvet, I., Robins, R. J., Forhan, A., Charles, M. A., … Heude, B. (2012). δ15N and δ13C in hair from newborn infants and their mothers: A cohort study. Pediatric Research, 71(5), 598–604.
Cited by: 104
5. Tea, I., Genter, T., Naulet, N., Lummerzheim, M., & Kleiber, D. (2007). Interaction between nitrogen and sulfur by foliar application and its effects on flour bread‐making quality. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 87(15), 2853–2859.
Cited by: 97
Dr. Illa Tea’s pioneering research integrates stable isotope analysis and metabolomics to uncover metabolic alterations in cancer, advancing precision diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring. Her innovative use of natural isotope abundance (¹³C, ¹⁵N) profiling bridges analytical chemistry with clinical applications, driving global progress in biomedical isotopomics and personalized medicine.