Potential Impact

This project is aimed at organising at a European level the expertise in Metabolomics and Lipidomics and to design a strategy for the life sciences beyond the already well-organized areas of Genomics and Proteomics. The impact of this proposal will extend well beyond the conclusion of the project. In the process of organising and mobilising the field of Metabolomics and Lipidomics we will bring together basic researchers, clinical scientist, clinicians, industry and representatives from other areas of life sciences research. The diversity of activities, scientific meetings, networking and policy meetings, on-line discussion groups, a survey of expertise and the publication of position papers will not only result in a strategy on Metabolomics and Lipidomics research for the direct actors involved, but it will also bring attention to this field of research and thus inspire stake holders to seek contact and establish strategic alliances. We believe that we have allowed for every possible opportunity for crossover between basic science and medical and commercial application. We are involving representatives from the clinic and from industry and create a series of meeting opportunities.

This project is a starting point of a very exciting time for the area of Metabolomics and Lipidomics. From the recent international developments we can expect an increase in interest for this field. Discoveries in Metabolomics and Lipidomics are often easier to exploit than discoveries in Genomics and Proteomics. Knowing the genetic code and subsequently knowing the structure of a protein rarely provides a drug directly. It provides clues for the design of such compounds. Often Metabolomics and in many cases Lipidomics becomes involved at that point. The drug that may target an interesting protein is mostly amphipathic and therefore lipidic in nature.

Currently the level of organisation in the area of Metabolomics and Lipidomics is not as evolved as in the area of Genomics and Proteomics. However from those fields we have learnt that a research area can form very rapidly. We have already started the survey of strengths represented in this consortium. This exploration of strengths and expertise and also the exploration of common grounds for further research or exploitation will continue. This SSA could provide the essential means for keeping the momentum of this research field.

After a strategy has been formulated for the field of Metabolomics and Lipidomics we expect that Participants in the ELIfe consortium and representatives from outside the consortium will join and start actual research projects. Our open-door policy assures that this is not a definitive consortium, it is a group of researchers who have taken the initiative to model the strategy of Metabolomics and Lipidomics onto the highly successful strategy of the areas of Genomics and Proteomics. This initiative will bring European stakeholders together and form a breeding ground for new initiative. We will welcome these initiatives and participants from outside our consortium as the impact of our proposal lies for a large part in the follow-up activities.

Shaping a field as large as Metabolomics and Lipidomics is an undertaking that simply cannot be completed at the national level. Involving actors from industry and health care demands that we look across borders. No single country hoards the complete expertise necessary to build a consortium as the one proposed here. We have been careful to involve Partners from a wide range of European Countries. In the course of the project we aim to identify national representatives of Metabolomics and Lipidomics and invite them to our activities.  Each of these persons (or groups of persons) will be urged to act as a contact towards the national fora for Metabolomics and Lipidomics research, and, where these do not exist as yet, to take the initiative to create a national network based on the information obtained in the survey of expertise and infrastructure within the Lipidomics field (T2.4).

Contributions to standards

The new technology in lipidomics, notably the analysis of lipid
structure via mass spectrometric techniques starts to yield an
unexpected range of novel lipid structures. It is obvious that this
requires an update of the present generAL nomenclature of lipids which
dates back to 1976. As a consortium, we intend to be actively involved
in the further development of a consistent lipid nomenclature and
intend to represent European lipidologists in the relevant world-wide
discussion fora.

IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature. 1977. The nomenclature of lipids.
           Recommendations (1976) Lipids. 12:455-468.

IUPAC-IUB Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (JCBN). 1989. The nomenclature of
           steroids. Recommendations 1989. Eur J Biochem. 186:429-458.

Chester, M.A. 1998. IUPAC-IUB Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (JCBN).
            Nomenclature of glycolipids--recommendations 1997. Eur J Biochem. 257:293-298.

Contribution to policy developments

The fact that most of our meetings are open to participants from beyond our consortium creates the opportunity for researchers, clinicians and industry across Europe to benefit from this activity. More and more National Funding Agencies and policy makers look at the European dimension of applications. We feel that this Project will not only strengthen European research efforts, but that it also will facilitate the shaping of national policies and research activities, both in applied and fundamental research.  Involving policy makers in the kick-off meeting and in the scientific meetings with emphasis on life sciences (ELSO), lipid biochemistry (ICBL), lipid technology (Euro Fed Lipids) and the combination (General Meeting: "New concepts in lipidology: from lipidomics to disease") will ascertain a translation of the technical side of the field into national and supranational policies in science, health and industrial applications. One field of application where the three meet is the field of nutrition and health. Technological development will allow more detailed analyses of lipid patterns in diseased and healthy persons, which will drive discussions with the food industry concerning the potential positive and negative effects of different types of (lipid) nutrition on human health. New health policies may be drawn up as a result.