Complex lipids are a diverse class of metabolites that serve many functions in biology and play an important role in the development of metabolic diseases, cancer, inflammation, and central nervous system disorders.
Accurate measures of lipids are essential for biomarker discovery and for clarifying biological questions. But, because they have a diverse array of chemical structures and a high degree of isomeric overlap, lipids are exceptionally challenging to accurately identify and quantify. The obstacles inherent in lipid profiling make high-quality lipidomics platforms extremely rare.
Metabolon has overcome the challenges of lipid profiling to create the only lipidomic platform able to provide both quantitative compositional analysis and complete speciation data: the Complex Lipids Targeted Panel.
By combining the Sciex SelexION differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) with an extensive library of lipid masses and more than 50 custom-synthesized internal standards, the Complex Lipids Targeted Panel identifies up to 1,100 individual lipid species.
This unique platform provides single-point quantitation of 14 lipid classes, including principal phospholipid, sphingolipid, and neutral lipid classes. It also provides molecular species concentrations and the complete fatty acid composition of each lipid class, thereby offering unparalleled insight into the lipidome.
This exceptional data is then imported into our proprietary Surveyor Web Tools for intuitive data visualization and easier interpretation. The combination of data and tools represents a unique environment for understanding complex lipid metabolism—a true “next generation” lipidomic solution.
The Complex Lipids Targeted Panel provides the lipid concentration (eg, TAG), fatty acid composition, and molecular species (eg, PC(16:0/22:6)) of each of the 14 covered lipid classes.
(Scroll left/right to see full table)
| Class | Number of Species |
|---|---|
| Ceramide (CER) | 12 |
| Cholesteryl Esters (CE) | 26 |
| Diacylglycerols (DAG) | 58 |
| Dihydroceramide (DCER) | 12 |
| Hexosylceramide (HCER) | 12 |
| Lactosylceramide (LCER) | 12 |
| Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) | 26 |
| Lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) | 26 |
| Monoacylglycerol (MAG) | 26 |
| Phosphatidylcholine (PC) | 140 |
| Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) | 216 |
| Phosphatidylinositol (PI) | 28 |
| Sphingomyelin (SM) | 12 |
| Triacylglycerols (TAG) | 519 |
Our readily available or custom developed quantitative assays help you achieve your research and biomarker validation objectives with precise and fully validated methods. Our targeted assays and panels cover more than 1,000 metabolites and lipids across a wide range of biochemical classes, metabolic pathways, and physiological processes, and they can be customized to best fit any application.
Lipids are extracted from samples in the presence of internal standards. The extracts are concentrated under nitrogen and reconstituted in dichloromethane:methanol (1:1) with 10 mM ammonium acetate.
The extracts are transferred to inserts and placed in vials for infusion-MS analysis, performed on a Shimadzu LC with nano PEEK tubing and the Sciex SelexION-5500 QTRAP. The samples are analyzed via both positive and negative mode electrospray. The 5500 QTRAP scan is performed in MRM mode with a total of more than 1,100 MRMs.
Individual lipid species are quantified by taking the intensity ratios of target compounds and their assigned internal standards, then multiplying by the concentration of internal standards added to the sample. Lipid class concentrations are calculated from the sum of all molecular species within a class, and fatty acid compositions are determined by calculating the proportion of each class comprised by individual fatty acids.
The Surveyor pathway maps allow clients to understand their lipidomic data in the context of lipid metabolic pathways.
Each pathway has been curated and annotated by Metabolon experts, and each element of the map is interactive, providing both data analysis (boxplots and difference testing) and additional information on each metabolite or activity.
Using Pathway Mapping tools, researchers can investigate the effect of their comparisons on the concentration and fatty acid composition of different pathways, including:
Discovery tools allow clients to perform an unbiased evaluation of the performance of each lipid, and layer in biological information and structure when desired. The tools plot all of the measured lipids and allow clients to filter and sort results to aid in the identification of biomarkers.
The Biomarker Performance page provides a comprehensive view of the performance of each lipid marker in separating the treatment groups.
The Time Course/Multiple Comparisons page improves the analysis of time-course and multiple-treatment comparisons studies by allowing clients to simultaneously plot multiple comparisons between groups.
In both tools, each plot point is interactive, linking a selected lipid marker to additional information about their structure and biology, including related box plots.
Discover how Metabolon’s proprietary workflow is optimized for efficiency to provide high-quality results and learn about our robust data post-processing and interpretation. Partner with Metabolon to unleash the power of lipid analysis and advance your research.
Once you see the full value of metabolomics, the only remaining question is: who does it best? While many laboratories have metabolite profiling or analytical chemistry capabilities, comprehensive metabolomics technologies are extremely rare.
Accurate, unbiased metabolite identification across the entire metabolome introduces signal-to-noise challenges that very few labs are equipped to handle. Also, translating massive quantities of data into actionable information is slow, if not impossible, for most because proper interpretation takes two things that are in short supply: experience and a comprehensive database.
Using our robust platform and visualization tools, our experts are uniquely able to tell you more about your molecule and develop assay panels to help you zero in on the results you need.
Coverage
Ability to interrogate thousands of metabolites across diverse biochemical space, revealing new insights and opportunities
Comparability
Ability to integrate the data from different studies into the same dataset, in different geographies, among different patients over time
Competency
Ability to inform on proper study design, generate high‐quality data, derive biological insights, and make actionable recommendations
Capacity
Ability to process hundreds of thousands of samples quickly and cost‐efficiently to service rapidly growing demand
Request a quote for our services, get more information on sample types and handling procedures, request a letter of support, or submit a question about how metabolomics can advance your research.
Corporate Headquarters
617 Davis Drive, Suite 100
Morrisville, NC 27560
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 110407
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Phone
+1 (919) 572-1711
Fax
+1 (919) 572-1721
International Headquarters
Metabolon GmbH
Zeppelinstraße 3
85399 Hallbergmoos
Germany
