Lipids are ubiquitous molecules that play essential roles in health and disease. They comprise the membranes that hold our cells together, act as diverse signaling molecules and provide critical fuel for cell metabolism. Dysfunction in lipid biology is a core theme in all forms of human disease, ranging from genetic sphingolipidoses, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, inflammation and auto-immunity, to Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and infection. The analysis of lipids using mass spectrometry, termed lipidomics, is facilitating a global explosion of research into the role(s) of these molecules in disease. Lipidomics is also driving a revolution in clinical analysis of lipids as biomarkers and diagnostic molecules.

This conference will explore the latest advances in lipid functions and roles in disease.  The meeting will act as a catalyst for bringing together interdisciplinary discoveries in lipidomics, ranging from basic biochemistry and cell biology to clinical studies.  The program will move beyond methodologies, to address new innovations in systems lipidomics, uniting multidimensional data to solve major questions relating to the roles of lipids in human disease.  Session will cover emerging discoveries on:

1. Signaling, where lipids play mechanistically important roles in cancer, metabolic disorders, and neurological disorders.
2. Biochemistry of circulating and vascular lipids and their metabolic pathways.
3. The role of lipids in inflammation and ferroptosis.
4. Lipidomics research in the context of infectious disease, in terms of the host, viruses, novel bacterial lipids and anti-microbial resistance.

This meeting will focus primarily on the biology and biochemistry of lipids, as applied to biomedicine. Bringing together several different communities of lipid researchers, the meeting will stimulate collaboration and the application of basic underpinning science to clinical translation, while training the next generation of lipid researchers. The meeting will include a workshop, led by members of LIPID MAPS, focused on the use of informatics resources and databases. We also aim to highlight industry partners in the areas of instrumentation and lipid standards to provide the foundation for insightful advances in the field.