Noster Metabolite Reference Program (NMRP) is a research reference infrastructure that defines an individual biological State as a relational structure based on differences among molecules or metabolites.

Before research begins, NMRP designs what will be compared, under which assumptions it will be interpreted, and how far comparability and accountability will be carried.
Definition, granularity, comparison structure, interpretation scope, and research accountability are fixed before the research starts. This allows research to remain not merely a one-time result, but knowledge that can be compared, reinterpreted, and referenced over time.

NMRP is not limited to defining States. It connects State discovery, individual Mapping,
the understanding of State movement, and future prediction and simulation within one reference architecture.

Conventional research often treats State as a label, such as healthy, diseased, impaired glucose tolerance, inflammatory, or non-responsive.
In many cases, however, these are names assigned to observed outcomes rather than the State itself. NMRP does not treat State as a single label.
A State is a structure defined by the relationships formed among differences in multiple molecules or metabolites.
The fact that one metabolite has increased is not sufficient to define a State. What matters is how that change relates to changes in other metabolites.

The starting point of NMRP is the “difference.” Here, a difference means a numerical difference calculated between predefined comparison targets using quantitative values of the molecule or metabolite of interest.

A difference by itself is merely a number. It becomes a meaningful structural unit only when
the target molecule, biological context, measurement conditions, comparison framework, interpretation scope, evidence level, and research accountability are defined together.
NMRP treats this meaning-bearing difference as a Reference Unit.

The smallest unit of NMRP is not a molecule list or an analysis menu. It is the Reference Unit.
A Reference Unit is the smallest unit of research reference that defines what is being studied, within which comparison structure, how far it may be interpreted, and who carries accountability for that interpretation.

Even when the molecule name is the same, a different Reference Unit represents a different research object. A Reference Unit allows studies to be compared under the same assumptions and to become referenceable by future research.

A biological State itself cannot be observed directly. Molecules and metabolites, however, can be measured.
NMRP structures measurable molecular information as Reference Units and represents
an individual as a vector composed of multiple Reference Units.
By mapping this vector into
a predefined reference space,
the individual State is described
as a position in that space.

A new space is not rebuilt for each individual. Using the same reference structure and the same conditions reproduces the same position for the same individual.
The individual State can therefore be expressed not merely as a diagnosis, but as position, distance, direction, and movement within the reference space.
Rather than forcing every individual into an existing State, NMRP describes the individual through their relationship to the reference structure.

A Panel is not an assortment of measurement items or a product menu. It is an implementation structure for explaining a State as a referenceable structure.
NMRP first defines the Reference Unit and then designs the measurements required
to establish that Reference Unit.
A Panel is designed around the relationships, roles, and contributions of the selected Reference Units that explain a State.
For example, measuring HYA, butyrate, bile acids, and lipid mediators is not by itself sufficient
to explain intestinal inflammation. What matters is the relationship they form together.

Inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, immune response, and intestinal barrier function
are all biological States, yet the State itself cannot be observed directly.
Metabolites can be measured. They connect inputs from diet and environment, transformation
by gut microbes and the host,
and host responses.
Some metabolites are more than markers that reflect a State. They function as active molecules related to metabolism, immunity, inflammatory response, and intestinal barrier function, and participate in maintaining homeostasis.
NMRP therefore treats metabolites not as isolated measurement targets, but as elements
of the relational structure
that constitutes a State.

The Research Reference System consists of a Research Reference Hierarchy that organizes the elements of research, and a Research Reference Process that connects reference design, measurement, Mapping, comparison, interpretation, and research accountability.
Biological phenomena and research structures are not the same. Biological phenomena occur in nature. Research, however, requires a shared reference system if results are to remain comparable.
Even when the same molecule is studied, results cannot be compared directly if measurement conditions, biological context, comparison conditions, or interpretation scope differ.
NMRP connects reference design, measurement, State Mapping, comparison, interpretation, and research accountability as one Research Reference System.

This structure makes research comparable, re-analyzable, and cumulative as knowledge. NMRP designs and maintains this Research Reference System.

HYA is the first Reference Case systematically established within NMRP.
HYA research has remained connected over an extended period under a shared molecular definition and research framework, progressing  from gut microbial fatty-acid metabolism and metabolite identification to biosynthetic pathways, host physiology, and disease research.

The HYA Reference Case does not merely demonstrate a large body of research. It demonstrates that when definitions, measurement, comparison, and interpretation assumptions are maintained, research becomes knowledge that remains referenceable across time. Depending on the project, NOSTER may participate in research design, method development, metabolic-network interpretation, and scientific publication.

NMRP is a Research Reference Infrastructure for individuals and organizations that will be held accountable for explaining research later.

What they share is the responsibility to preserve research not as a one-time output, but as knowledge that can be compared, reinterpreted, and explained over time.

NMRP does not provide:

Not providing these functions is an essential condition for NMRP to remain a Research Reference Infrastructure.

NMRP is an annual program designed to establish research in a referenceable form.
Pricing is not determined solely by the number of measurements or analyses.

Different research themes require different depths of accountability. NMRP does not impose
a uniform design that ignores those differences.
Do not publish specific price ranges on the general website. Terms are individually designed after the research theme, reference scope, and responsibility scope have been reviewed.

The more important the research, the more sensitive the information involved. NMRP is designed on the premise that research confidentiality must be protected.
The page and Contact Form must not request specific molecule names, product names, unpublished numerical values, patient information, personal data, or other confidential information.
Sensitive information is shared only after the initial meeting and, when appropriate, after an NDA has been executed.

A world in which definitions are shared, research remains connected in a comparable form, and knowledge continues to accumulate.
NMRP is not ultimately seeking isolated research outputs. It builds a reference architecture through which research can continue to be explained, compared, reinterpreted, and connected to subsequent research and future prediction.
Drawing on accumulated State and Transition structures, NMRP predicts future States and simulates how a State moves under different intervention conditions.