LIPID MAPS® Highlights

ABSTRACT DEADLINE EXTENDED!

1st August 2026

Good news! We’re giving you a little extra time.

If your calendar got away from you this month, don't worry...

We’ve extended the application deadline for the LIPID MAPS Online Training School 2026 by two full weeks!

By popular demand, we’re extending the application deadline, you now have until August 14th.

Don't miss out - submit your abstract today

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Explore ‘The Lipid Web’ – your go-to educational resource for lipid science!

1st July 2026

From lipid definitions to metabolism, structures to mass spectrometry, and even key reference materials, the Lipid Web provides accessible, expert-curated content for students, researchers, and educators alike.

Whether you're new to lipidomics or looking to refresh your knowledge....

It's an invaluable free resource to support your research journey!!

Start using The Lipid Web today

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LIPID MAPS Training School - Abstracts & Registration

1st June 2026

Don’t miss out!

Registration and abstract submissions are still OPEN for the upcoming LIPID MAPS Online Training School 12-16th of October 2026.

Join researchers and students from around the world for expert talks, hands-on learning, and the latest in lipidomics. Whether you’re presenting your work or expanding your skills, now’s the perfect time to get involved !!

Submit your abstract and secure your place today

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*NEW* LIPID MAPS Publication - Science Signaling Focus Article

6th May 2026

Our recent focus article “LIPID MAPS: powering discovery in lipidomics” in Science Signaling is now published.

This article highlights how we continue to advance lipidomics research by providing community-driven databases, analytical tools, standards, and educational resources that support scientists worldwide.

The publication showcases recent developments across the resource and our ongoing commitment to enabling discovery, collaboration, and open science in lipid research.

Read the full article here

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Registration NOW OPEN !!

13th April 2026

You can now register for our 2026 LIPID MAPS Training School. The Training School will run from 12 - 16^th of October 2026, in an online format, following the success of our Spring School in 2021.

Unlock the future of lipidomics with our intensive Lipidomics Training School! Over five days, participants will engage in in-depth lectures, delve into resources, and present interactive poster sessions led by world-renowned experts.

Whether you're looing to develop or refine your lipidomics knowledge, our training school can support your learning, register now and JOIN US on the course!

REGISTER HERE

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Abstract submission NOW OPEN!

16th March 2026

The abstract submission is now open for the LIPID MAPS Training School, taking place online from 12–16 October 2026.

Researchers are invited to submit abstracts for the interactive poster session, providing an opportunity to share their latest findings with the international lipidomics community.

The training school will feature expert-led lectures, discussions, and presentations covering cutting-edge lipidomics technologies, data analysis, and biological insights.

Abstract Submission Deadline: 31st July 2026 (23:45 BST)

Submit your abstract HERE

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LIPID MAPS Training School – The Future of Advanced Lipidomics

22nd February 2026

We are thrilled to announce that our 2026 LIPID MAPS Training School will run from 12 - 16^th of October 2026, in an online format, following the success of our Spring School in 2021.

Unlock the future of lipidomics with our intensive Lipidomics Training School! Designed for researchers, clinicians and industry professionals, this course offers comprehensive advanced lipidomics, from cutting-edge lipidomics technologies to systems integration.

Over five days, participants will engage in in-depth lectures, delve into digital resources, and present interactive poster sessions led by world-renowned experts.

Watch this space for more info!

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Remembering Dr Walt Shaw (1939 - 2026)

16th February 2026

We’re greatly saddened by the recent passing of our longtime colleague Dr Walt Shaw, founder of Avanti Polar Lipids and a core team lead of LIPID MAPS from 2003–2013. His vision, leadership and dedication to lipid research helped shape both organisations and supported scientists worldwide. He leaves a lasting legacy in the lipid community and will be remembered with respect and gratitude.

You can read Walt’s full obituary here.

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Expanded Standards Spectra DB on LIPID MAPS

6th January 2026

We’re excited to announce the addition of new spectra in our Standards Spectra DB, a powerful resource now featuring over 1,800 high-quality, interactive spectra. In addition to the existing Oxylipin data, we’ve now added a new set of sterol standards, including both GC-MS and LC-MS spectra.

Designed to support researchers, the database provides fully searchable spectra with rich, standardized metadata, including sample details, measurement conditions, and instrument specifications. Users can easily explore and compare data, zoom in on spectral peaks, and download relevant files for further analysis.

View the new entries here!

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A New LIPID MAPS Resource: Shorthand DB

2nd January 2026

The Shorthand DB offers stable, publication-ready identifiers for lipids described at species and molecular-species levels, following the widely adopted nomenclature of Liebisch et al. These identifiers link directly to dedicated pages detailing each lipid entry, making it easier for researchers to reference lower-resolution structures without relying on full structural data from LMSD.

The Shorthand DB currently supports lipids containing acyl chains up to 38 carbons in length, including oxygenated variants. Researchers can also search shorthand nomenclature or validate existing identifiers, ensuring accuracy and consistency in lipid annotation.

Check out the new database here

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Warm Holiday Wishes from LIPID MAPS

24th December 2025

Whether you’re marking the holiday season, spending time with loved ones, diving into research, or taking a well-deserved break, we’re grateful for the curiosity, collaboration, and dedication you bring to the world of lipid science.

Wishing everyone peace and good health. 💛

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A New LIPID MAPS Resource: Shorthand DB

1st December 2025

The Shorthand DB offers stable, publication-ready identifiers for lipids described at species and molecular-species levels, following the widely adopted nomenclature of Liebisch et al. These identifiers link directly to dedicated pages detailing each lipid entry, making it easier for researchers to reference lower-resolution structures without relying on full structural data from LMSD.

The Shorthand DB currently supports lipids containing acyl chains up to 38 carbons in length, including oxygenated variants. Researchers can also search shorthand nomenclature or validate existing identifiers, ensuring accuracy and consistency in lipid annotation.

Check out the new database here

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A Major Milestone: Over 50,000 Curated Lipids in the LIPID MAPS® Structural Database!

4th November 2025

We’re thrilled to announce that LMSD has surpassed over 50,000 curated lipid structures!

This achievement represents years of dedicated work by the LIPID MAPS team. Each entry in LMSD is fully characterised and annotated to include Classification, Cross-links and Provenance (where possible) ensuring that the database remains the world’s most comprehensive resource for lipids.

Explore the LIPID MAPS® Structural Database

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Explore the Uncharted: Introducing Partial Spectra DB – A New Frontier in Lipidomics

8th October 2025

Partial Spectra DB is a dynamic, open-access spectral database tailored for lipids that are only partially structurally annotated— often overlooked in mainstream lipidomics.

Built by and for the lipidomics community, Partial Spectra DB allows interactive exploration of curated spectra, annotated fragment ions, and metadata-rich entries.

Users can browse, search, contribute and download spectra for seamless integration into your own work.

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Explore the Uncharted: Introducing Partial Spectra DB – A New Frontier in Lipidomics

1st October 2025

Partial Spectra DB is a dynamic, open-access spectral database tailored for lipids that are only partially structurally annotated— often overlooked in mainstream lipidomics.

Built by and for the lipidomics community, Partial Spectra DB allows interactive exploration of curated spectra, annotated fragment ions, and metadata-rich entries.

Users can browse, search, contribute and download spectra for seamless integration into your own work.

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Explore “Mass Spectra of Prostaglandins and Related Products”

5th September 2025

Dive into Volume 18 of Advances in Prostaglandin, Thromboxane, and Leukotriene Research, by Cecil Robert Pace-Asciak.

This comprehensive volume offers an in-depth look at the structural analysis of prostaglandins using mass spectrometry, the related spectra reveal insights into their fragmentation patterns, derivatives, and analytical behaviour. This resource delivers essential data and interpretation techniques to support your research.

Access this resource NOW!!

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LIPID MAPS Webinars - Series 7 is coming soon….

4th August 2025

We're Back - Bigger and Better Than Ever!

Join us this September for Series 7 of the LIPID MAPS Webinars—featuring exciting new content, expert speakers, and cutting-edge lipid research you won’t want to miss…. We will announce our first presenter at the beginning of September so keep an eye out on our socials and newsletter!!

We’re also excited to announce our return to the ZOOM platform, making it easier for you to join and engage with our webinars!!!

Catch up NOW on any previous webinars you might have missed!

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We’re excited to announce the launch of the new Standards Spectra Database

2nd June 2025

A powerful resource featuring over 1,000 high-quality, interactive MS/MS spectra under the Oxylipin umbrella. Designed to support researchers, this database provides fully searchable spectra with rich, standardized metadata including sample details, measurement conditions, and instrument specifications.

This resource supports the Technical recommendations for analyzing oxylipins by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry which provides comprehensive guidelines for the accurate quantification of oxylipins using LC-MS, emphasizing the importance of standardized reference spectra and metadata.

Explore the Standards Spectra Database today

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Explore the LIPID MAPS Podcast Series

5th May 2025

We invite you to visit our newly redesigned Podcasts Page, where you can access the complete collection of LIPID MAPS® podcasts. Hosted by Dr. Matthew Conroy, each episode features in-depth conversations with leading experts in lipidomics, covering topics such as marine lipids, clinical applications, and the evolution of lipid research.​

Stay informed about the latest developments in lipid science by tuning in to our insightful discussions.​

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Biological Information Available on LMSD

17th March 2025

We are thrilled to announce that we've added more biological information to almost 1500 lipids in LMSD.

This information, with accompanying citations, has been kindly provided by Cayman Chemical. We hope it adds more context and enriches the information we provide to the lipidomics community.

Check out an example of the info HERE!

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Keystone Symposia: Lipids in Cellular Function and Disease

10th March 2025

Apr 06–09, 2025 | Beaver Run Conference Center, Breckenridge, CO, United States

This conference will bring together lipid researchers to explore the latest advances in basic underpinning science through to clinical translation, while training the next generation of lipid researchers.

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

Scientific Organizers: Valerie B. O'Donnell, Junken Aoki and Vytas A. Bankaitis

You can still sign up and attend. Register here!

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Biological Information Available on LMSD

3rd March 2025

We are thrilled to announce that we've added more biological information to almost 1500 lipids in LMSD.

This information, with accompanying citations, has been kindly provided by Cayman Chemical. We hope it adds more context and enriches the information we provide to the lipidomics community.

Check out an example HERE!

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Lipid Calc App now available on Android

28th January 2025

Lipid Calculator is an app, developed by Robert C Murphy, that can calculate the accurate mono-isotopic molecular weight of tens of thousands lipid molecular species as well as positive and negative molecular ions and several molecular ion adducts.

We can now share an updated Apple version and a brand new Android Version !!

Click HERE to download the UPDATED Apple version Click HERE to download the NEW Android version

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LIPID MAPS Webinars moving to TEAMs

2nd January 2025

We have made the switch from hosting the LIPID MAPS Webinars via Zoom to the TEAMs platform. Hopefully this will be a relatively simple switch and you should be able to join simply and still be able to participate in the Q&A section as normal.

What these changes might mean for you:

- There might be a delay in receiving your registration email

- If you are joining from a mobile you will have to download the app

- You may be required to ‘log in’ if your browser knows you have an account

To avoid any issues please be sure to register in enough time

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Happy Holidays!

23rd December 2024

Holiday season is upon us, so LIPID MAPS would like to take the time to wish you all a joyful Festive Period and a Happy New Year!

As always we thank you for your continued support throughout this year and look forward to creating new resources for you soon!!

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Become a beta tester for the new android version of the Lipid Calc App

21st October 2024

Do you have an android phone and a Google account? Could you spare a few minutes to test the Lipid Calc App and provide some short feedback?

Testing is an integral part of the app development process and allows the Lipid Calc App to be made widely available.

Please sign up by providing your name and email address, and someone will be in touch shortly to arrange the rest.

Sign up here via the form

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LIPID MAPS & WikiPathways Pathway Curation project

25th September 2024

An ELIXIR-funded project to curate lipid pathways, concluded in June 2024 after two and a half years.

The primary objective, of the collaboration between the WikiPathways open science platform and the LIPID MAPS community, was to curate high-quality biochemical knowledge on lipid metabolism by engaging lipid experts worldwide. The project was further enhanced by the EpiLipidNET COST network to curate lipid signalling pathways.

This initiative significantly boosted community interest and ensured the sustained co-curation of high-quality biochemical knowledge on lipid metabolism. A total of 24 pathways were curated/ updated through the project and are now available on both, LIPID MAPS and WikiPathways platforms.

View the Pathways here

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ALERT: Downtime of LIPID MAPS Webpage

17th September 2024

There will be essential work taking place on our servers on Tuesday 24th of September. The work will cause intermittent connectivity issues that could last for several hours. During this time LIPID MAPS will temporarily go offline.

We apologise for any inconvenience this causes.

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New Isotopic Distribution Tool

5th September 2024

For a long time, you’ve been able to view the isotopic distribution for a molecule in LMSD by clicking on its formula on the relevant page of our main database, LMSD.

We’ve now added an interface where you can input the formula of a molecule of interest and directly see the isotopic distribution, reflecting the probability of the occurrence of different isotopes being incorporated within your molecule.

Find the tool here

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Tools Guide Update – General call

22nd July 2024

It have been almost 2 years since the first version of the Lipidomics Tools Guide was published and made available via LIPID MAPS website. 

With the constant development of computational solutions for lipidomics data processing, we are planning to update the Guide with new open-access tools and software, which serve the lipidomics community. If you are interested in sharing your tools and software, please fill the form below before September 1st and we will contact you directly. 

Remember; Lipidomics Tools Guide aims to support researchers with varying degree of bioinformatics expertise, thus, to be included in the Guide the tool needs to have graphical user interface and have open access for academic users.

Complete the form

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LIPID MAPS Network Updates 20th and 21st July

14th July 2024

There will be essential work taking place to the network on Saturday 20th July. The work will begin at 10am BST and will cause intermittent connectivity issues that could last for several hours. During this time LIPID MAPS will temporarily go offline. Please note services should also be considered at risk on Sunday 21st July in case of any issues.

We apologise for any inconvenience this causes, but this work is essential and unavoidable to ensure network performance, security and stability.

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Professor Bengt Samuelsson (1934 - 2024)

9th July 2024

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Bengt Samuelsson, Nobel laureate and former president of Karolinska Institute.  Professor Samuelsson was co-discoverer of prostaglandins, with Sune Bergström, and a founder of the field of lipid mediators.  These hormone-like substances regulate several important processes in the body relevant to health and disease, including development, inflammation, allergies, glaucoma and cardiovascular disease and are the targets of numerous drug therapies. 

We send our sincere condolences to his family and all his friends. 

Tribute Page

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LIPID MAPS Network Updates 20th and 21st July

1st July 2024

There will be essential work taking place to the network on Saturday 20th July. The work will begin at 10am BST and will cause intermittent connectivity issues that could last for several hours. During this time LIPID MAPS will temporarily go offline. Please note services should also be considered at risk on Sunday 21st July in case of any issues.

We apologise for any inconvenience this causes, but this work is essential and unavoidable to ensure network performance, security and stability.

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Chirality change for lipids in LMSD

5th June 2024

A recent paper in Angewandte Chemie by the Minnaard group highlighted that the long-established chirality of Mycolipanolic acid was incorrect. Stereoselective chemical synthesis of this mycobacterial cell-wall constituent proved the chirality of the alpha-methyl and beta-hydroxy groups needed to be inverted.

Accordingly, we have revised the structure in LMSD and that of all those molecules containing mycolipanolic acid, around 750 lipids in total. 

Check these lipids out on LMSD

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Shorthand nomenclature updates

6th May 2024

Recent research strongly suggests that there may be many more bile acid amidates (bile acids conjugated with amino acids) in nature than previously thought. We have updated the shorthand nomenclature to include these as a suffix of; Xxx, where Xxx is the three letter amino acid code. For instance Phenylalanocholic Acid (LMST05050056) is now ST 24:1;O4;Phe.

For consistency, glycine conjugate shorthand now ends; Gly rather than ;G. Similarly, taurine conjugates change from ;T to ;Tau to remove any potential ambiguity. 

We have also updated the shorthand for bile acid conjugates, which previously included the leaving oxygen that is displaced to form the amide bond. This has been removed such that only the oxygens present in the bile acid residue are enumerated. For example the shorthand for glycocholic acid (LMST05030001) changes from ST 24:1;O5;G to ST 24:1;O4;Gly.

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Steroid structure drawing tool expanded

1st April 2024

We have recently made extensive updates to our structure drawing tool for sterols. 

It now enables drawing of over 20 different sterol cores including the steroid hormones, bile acids and plant sterols such as withanolides. You can use this tool to draw sterol structures defining the stereochemistry of substituents and positions of double bonds. 

The tool produces an image downloadable as PNG, along with the formula and systematic name.

View this expansion on the Sterol Structure Drawing Page

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EpiLipidNET joins the Community forum

4th March 2024

We are thrilled to announce that the EpiLipidNET community are joining the LIPID MAPS forum.  

The community forum, will be an informal platform to source and provide information about various aspects of epilipid analysis – from analytical methods to biochemical pathways integration. If you have new suggestions and ideas for new initiatives; you can post these directly on this forum.  You can also use the community forum to start informal conversations on any (epi)lipids of your interest, their biological significance, applied methodologies and data analysis strategies, connecting with others in the field.

Join us now on the community forum

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View 3D models in LMSD

5th February 2024

You are now able to visualise 3D models of the lipids in LMSD. Once on a specific lipid page, click the ‘view 3D’ button on the bottom left of the lipid structure image.  A rotating 3D representation of the molecule will appear. You can fully control the rotation and scaling of the model with your mouse to alter the view point. Remember that these models are a calculated ‘snapshot’ and only one of many possible conformations available to molecules with many rotatable bonds. 

View an example here by clicking 'view 3D'

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Similarity 'Tanimoto' Search in LMSD

2nd January 2024

We’ve just improved our structure search of LMSD, our main database of lipid structures.  Previously, you were able to sketch your molecule in the search (structure) interface and find exact matches, or hits in LMSD where your query is a part of that molecule. Now, you can find hits which are 'similar to' your query using the Tanimoto similarity search, by defining the threshold for that similarity in the 'search-type' drop-down menu and entering Tanimoto/Similarity.

Sketch a molecule here and find other molecules which have similarity to your query

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Happy holiday season!

24th December 2023

Everyone here at LIPID MAPS would like to wish you all a

Merry Christmas / Feliz Navidad / Buon Natale / Frohe Weihnachten / / メリー クリスマス / Joyeux Noel / Feliz Natal / Nadolig Llawen / عيد ميلاد مجيد / Wesołych świąt Bożego Narodzenia / 聖誕快樂 / Happy Holidays 

and a joyful and healthy New Year!!! 

We would also like to thank you for your ongoing support. 

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LIPID MAPS becomes an ELIXIR Core Resource and Deposition Database

18th December 2023

LIPID MAPS are thrilled to announce that we have been successful in obtaining accreditations from ELIXIR!! 

LIPID MAPS has been added to ELIXIR Core Data Resources (CDRs) and has also been awarded the status of an ELIXIR Deposition Database (EDDs). ELIXIR CDRs are European life science data resources that are important to biological and biomedical research and long-term preservation of biological data and ELIXIR EDDs are key European databases recommended for the deposition of experimental data.

Check out ELIXIR Europe’s news release

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Accreditation success for LIPID MAPS

11th December 2023

LIPID MAPS are thrilled to announce that we have been successful in obtaining an accreditation from Global Biodata Coalition (GBC).

LIPID MAPS is one of the additional 15 Global Core Biodata Resources (GCBRs) that join the existing 37, forming an important focus of the GBC’s work with global life science funders to better understand the challenges and needs for biodata resource long-term sustainability.

Check out the official Global Biodata announcement

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New publication from LIPID MAPS

6th November 2023

Our recent paper in Nucleic Acids Research database issue describes the updates to LIPID MAPS databases, tools and engagement that have taken place over the last few years. It describes the expansion of LMSD with richer metadata including display of reactions, programmatic access and improved FAIR compliance. It also describes other LIPID MAPS databases, tools and the training and engagement we’re doing.

Read the full journal article here

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Lipid nomenclature update

2nd October 2023

A word on the use of the "C" prefix in lipid shorthand nomenclature (e.g "C16:0"). Some institutions and companies use it to describe acyl carnitines whereas others use it for fatty acids. This ambiguous nomenclature should be avoided by choosing "CAR" (e.g "CAR 16:0") for acyl carnitines and "FA" (e.g "FA 16:0") for fatty acids. More details on recommendations by the Lipidomics Standards Initiative and International Lipid Classification and Nomenclature Committee are found in the LIPID MAPS nomenclature section.

Read a recent JLR publication on this recommendation

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More crosslinks from LMSD pages

4th September 2023

Lipids are substrates, products and inhibitors of enzymes, some are needed to stabilise membrane proteins. They're often found in complex with the 3D structures of proteins in the Protein Data Bank and we've added links from LMSD to our ELIXIR partners, the Protein Data Bank in Europe, where we have a molecule in common across our respective databases. 

See an example of one of our crosslinks with PBDe here

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LMSD reaches a new milestone

24th July 2023

The LIPID MAPS Structure Database is our flagship database containing fully characterised structures of biologically relevant lipids. Recently, that  database reached the milestone of exceeding 48000 unique lipid structures. A paper from the Blanksby Group describing lots of previously unknown fatty acids got us over the line. It's a really exciting time in lipid mass spectrometry with new techniques enabling better characterisation of lipids being developed. These will no doubt keep us busy adding new lipids to LMSD for the foreseeable future.

LMSD overview page

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New reactions in BioPAN

3rd July 2023

We have added new reactions to BioPAN to accommodate the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. 

We have also added the ability to analyse datasets containing lipids with molecular species annotation (for example PC 16:0_12:0). for cases where the acyl chain identities are known.

See more details on the BioPAN documentation page

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New headgroup in our Structure Drawing tool

8th June 2023

We've recently added the facility to draw Phosphatidyl-L-threonine (PT) in a standardised form to our structure drawing tool. PT is closely related structurally and metabolically to phosphatidylserine and is a minor component of eukaryotic membranes and present in bacterial membranes too.  It is known to be important in the membranes of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis. 

Use the new head group for PT here!

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Upcoming events

2nd May 2023

EpiLipidNET - The 4th annual meeting will take place from 10th to 12th of July in Toulouse, France.

Find more information and register here

EAS - Our very own Dr M. Conroy & Prof. W Griffiths will present at this years Lipotoxicity Course in Prague on the 8th and 9th of June.

Find more information and register here

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A new structure drawing tool

5th March 2023

A new glycan drawing & mass calculation tool for glycosylceramides has been created. By inputting an LM_ID of a generic glycosylceramide, a SpingoMap ID present in LMSD or a full glycan name this tool takes a glycosylceramide glycan sequence and generates all possible intermediates, starting from glucosyl-ceramide and also gives the mass of the glycan group present.

Draw and save glycan structures

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Query retention time data on Metabolomics Workbench

6th February 2023

A new tool on Metabolomics Workbench enables searching chromatography metadata to view retention time information, chromatography conditions, and instrumentation. It is possible view data for one particular metabolite or compare data for a pair of metabolites. This information might help confirm the identity of a compound with reference to other observations of it's chromatographic behaviour.

Search Retention Time Data

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New paper on choosing informatics software and tools for lipidomics

5th January 2023

The many different choices of software and tools for analysing lipidomics data can be confusing or even daunting for a researcher. A recent paper in Nature Methods "Guiding the choice of informatics software and tools for lipidomics research applications" from the LIPID MAPS team and many others provides a guide to navigating through this complex area, and includes our interactive online portal listing open-access tools with a graphical user interface.

Nature Methods Paper

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Community Forum

11th October 2022

We are delighted to announce the LIPID MAPS community forum.

The community forum is an informal way to provide feedback on the LIPID MAPS databases and resources. Have you suggestions for new initiatives; would you like to ask for advice on how to use the resources; or send through information on items that need updating or correcting?

You can also use the community forum to start informal conversations on lipidomics in general and link up with others to create discussion amongst the community.

You can view online discussions, and/or create your own profile so you can freely post questions or comments. 

We look forward to you joining us on the forum and contributing to our lipid conversations! 

Community Forum

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Look-up tables for shorthand notation

9th August 2022

We have produced easy look-up tables for shorthand notation for lipid mass-spectrometric (MS) data. These will allow you to quickly find the correct shorthand notation for lipid data fitting validated MS-output, depending on the resolution of your experimental data.

The tables are based on Liebisch et al. J. Lipid Res. 61, 1–17 (2020).  This “fast-track” version presents succinct application rules and provides examples for hierarchical shorthand notation.

Shorthand nomenclature

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LIPID MAPS SPARQL Endpoint

17th June 2022

The LIPID MAPS SPARQL Endpoint is now available! 

You will be able to programmatically query LIPID MAPS and our partners. More information and examples can be found here: https://lipidmaps.org/resources/sparql

We gratefully acknowledge members of the ELIXIR 2021 Hackathon “FAIR lipids” for collaborative working on this project, with specific mention of Maksim Kolchin, Jerven Bolleman (SIB), Denise Slenter (WikiPathways) and Egon Willighagen (WikiPathways).

SPARQL Endpoint

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Search Functionality

27th April 2022

We have recently updated the search facility of the LIPID MAPS homepage. We have added auto-complete functionality, so as you type, the search will indicate which areas of the LIPID MAPS databases contain the term you’ve typed, enabling you to get to the result you’re looking for more efficiently.

We’ve also incorporated RefMet into the search, which will standardise many non-standard lipid names prior to the search (eg DAG C36:3 will become DG 36:3), enabling lipids described this way to be found more easily.

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New lipid classes added to COMP_DB

15th March 2022

COMP_DB, the LIPID MAPS computationally-generated database of "bulk" lipid species has just been extended to include new classes of betaine lipids which occur in organisms such as algae, bryophytes and fungi.

Whilst LMSD contains fully characterised lipids, COMP_DB species indicate only the number of carbons and double bond equivalents, but not chain positions or double bond regiochemistry and geometry.

In many lipidomics studies, this is the level of characterisation achieved, so expanding COMP_DB to include DGCC, DGTA and DGTS lipid classes will help those working on these to identify potential lipids in their data.

COMP_DB link

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NEW: Reactions explorer

9th February 2022

We are developing a reactions explorer to visualise and obtain information on biochemical reactions and metabolic pathways involving lipids.

In the explorer, you can navigate through the complex network of lipid reactions and use the filtering tools to quickly find relevant reactions for your lipid class of interest.

Our lipid reactions database is linked to the LMSD database so you can now find on specific lipid pages reactions in which they might take part.

Link to Reactions

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Lots more carotenoids in LMSD

20th January 2022

We've added a splash of colour by including a lot more carotenoids in LMSD over the past few months. 

Nearly 700 of the molecules curated in http://carotenoiddb.jp/ but previously not part of LMSD are now incorporated.

Most are to be found in the tetraterpene class https://www.lipidmaps.org/lmsd_search/60107 

LMSD

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New classes of betaine lipids

29th November 2021

Research over the last few years has shown the abundance of diacylglycerols with betaine headgroups in organisms such as seaweeds, algae and fungi. Recognising this, we’ve updated LMSD and added classes of betaine mono- and di-radylglycerols in the glycerolipids category. Existing betaine lipids have been moved into these classes. 

Due to the experimental difficulty, the position of acyl chains, and double bonds within them, has yet to be determined for many betaine lipids, so there are doubtless many more to add to LMSD in coming years.

Betaine monoradylglycerols Betaine diradylglycerols

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**Job Alert**

2nd November 2021

We have an opportunity to join the LIPID MAPS team, as a Biocurator.  

The role will provide core support for a new curation project, building lipid biochemical pathways in LIPID MAPS (http://www.lipidmaps.org) and WikiPathways (https://www.wikipathways.org/index.php/WikiPathways).  

This post is funded by ELIXIR, based at Cardiff University and may support remote working.

For further information and to apply, please visit https://bit.ly/3GIPKWv

Job Description

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'Scalable Curation' project

16th September 2021

We are delighted to announce a successful award in collaboration with WikiPathways and EpiLipidNet from the ELIXIR Data Platform Implementation Study call for ‘Scalable Curation’.

This award funds a full time curator to support expert community curation of lipids and pathways/networks for lipidomics. This work will add expert-curated and reviewed pathways to the WikiPathways lipid portal (https://www.wikipathways.org/index.php/Portal:Lipids), and link reactions back to the new LIPID MAPS reaction database. New Pathway curation will enable development of tools for lipidomics systems biology. 

This award will start in January 2022.

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New look to the LMSD lipid pages

26th May 2021

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Spring School Recordings are now Live!

10th May 2021

Visit our LIPID MAPS YouTube channel to listen to the whole week of recordings. There are over 40 presentations for you to watch, with 33 speakers who are top-level experts in lipid biology and lipidomics. The presentations include a variety of tools, resources and research.
All of the presentations are clearly displayed so you can choose which themes/topics you would like to watch!
Our YouTube channel hosts our live webinar series, and a vast array of tutorials, including BioPAN. Plus you can listen to our recently launched Podcasts with Bill Christie and Matthew Conroy.
Don’t forget if you subscribe to our YouTube channel you will receive alerts when we upload new recordings!
Go to YouTube

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Lipid Calculator

9th April 2021

Lipid Calculator is an iPhone app that can calculate the accurate mono-isotopic molecular weight of tens of thousands lipid molecular species as well as positive and negative molecular ions and several molecular ion adducts.
This application provided by LIPIDMAPS can be used to support lipid biochemists in their lipidomic investigations when electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is employed.
LipidCalc can calculate the accurate mono-isotopic molecular weight of tens of thousands lipid molecular species as well as positive and negative molecular ions and several molecular ion adducts.
View in App Store

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12th March 2021

We are looking for experts in lipid biochemistry to help create a new knowledge base.
During the next 6 months LIPID MAPS will be working with WikiPathways to support expert community curation of lipids and pathways/networks for lipidomics. We plan to create new pathways and then integrate these with LIPID MAPS Structure Database (LMSD) to enable development of tools for lipidomics systems biology.

To do this, we need our curation team to work with domain experts in specific lipid pathways so we can capture high quality accurate biochemical information, including reactions, genes, organism/tissue localisation of lipids and their reactions.
Are you working on a lipid metabolic pathway, and are interested to be involved?
Curated information will be tagged with publications and contributors will be credited.
Please get in touch with Valerie O’Donnell: [email protected]

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Lipid Trends has arrived!

9th March 2021

This new Lipid Trends page, highlights novel and exciting articles and research trends, that are of interest to the lipid community. A curated collection of hot picks from the world of lipid research will be available for you!

Suggestions for articles to be presented on Lipid Trends may submitted here. The committee will review articles and curate the upcoming trends.

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Standardizing Reference Nomenclature

30th November 2020

RefMet provides a standardized reference nomenclature for metabolite species (including over 100,000 lipid annotations) identified by analytical chemistry techniques.

The recent Nature Methods publication "RefMet: a reference nomenclature for metabolomics" describes this resource which is available as an online name-conversion tool on this website.

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22nd November 2020

LIPID MAPS is delighted to announce the development of new partnerships from our recent sponsors from both Merck and SCIEX.
Merck have become sponsors of the webinar series, whilst SCIEX are our first sponsors of the Spring School.
We would like to thank both companies for their support and look forward to working with them throughout 2021. The sponsorship enables us to forge partnerships and assists with the sustainability of LIPID MAPS, a community driven free resource.
Find out more Webinars Spring School

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LIPID MAPS® Job Vacancy

16th November 2020

LIPID MAPS® is looking for a biocurator to co-ordinate and either lead or support, based on level of expertise, on a major curation and tool development project, focused on network and pathway analysis of lipidomics data at lipid, protein and gene level that will be hosted on LIPID MAPS. Part of the role will include linking with other external lipid/pathways/small module databases and participate in collaborative work to generate information for new interoperable resources. This will include updating current content in LIPID MAPS gene and proteome database.
Job Advert

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New publications from LIPID MAPS

14th October 2020

How to describe a lipid by name? Our new paper in J. Lipid Res. on Classification, Nomenclature and Shorthand Notation for MS-derived lipid structures details how to describe lipids at all levels of structural annotation, with COMP_DB updated to facilitate Bulk searches for MS data.

Updated LipidFinder 2.0, software for post processing lipidomics MS data is now available on the LIPIDMAPS website and described in Bioinformatics. New features include artefact filtering, contaminant removal, FDA, bulk-structure identification and API link with XCMS.
Classification Paper LipidFinder 2.0

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New nomenclature tools

10th June 2020

New tools, aimed at facilitating data sharing and cross-study comparison of lipidomics data sets:

• Convert lipid names to standardized nomenclature
• Displays levels of lipid structural resolution

View the tools

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(1955-2020)

6th March 2020

We are devastated to learn of the passing of our Co-PI, mentor and friend Professor Michael Wakelam, Director of the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, UK. Professor Wakelam brought a wealth of experience and dedication to LIPID MAPS and will be greatly missed by all of us.
We send our sincere condolences to his family and all who knew him.
Tribute Page

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New tool available on LIPID MAPS®: BioPAN

1st March 2020

BioPan allows you to perform a pathway analysis from a lipidomics dataset. In this analysis, systematic changes in lipid pathways can be explored at different levels: lipid class and lipid species. Those pathways will be highlighted and changes in enzyme activity will also be predicted.
View BioPAN

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LIPID MAPS® Webinar Series: Progress in Quantitative Lipidomics

1st February 2020

Phospholipids and Glycerides to be presented by Professor Emeritus Robert "Bob" Murphy

More Information

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LIPID MAPS® Webinar Series: Progress in Quantitative Lipidomics

1st January 2020

Phospholipids and Glycerides to be presented by Professor Emeritus Robert "Bob" Murphy

More Information

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