Lipidomics and Systems Biology

It is increasingly known that lipids exist in bewildering diversity in nature, which varies between organisms, tissues, organs, cell types, down to the subcellular compartments and the two leaflets of biological membranes. The functions of these metabolites span beyond their structural and storage roles. Dysregulation of metabolism has been associated with a wide spectrum of diseases including obesity, atherosclerosis, cancer, neurodegeneration and infectious diseases, and this list is not exhaustive.

Global analyses of ‘lipidomes’, enabled by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, have facilitated systems-based studies of lipid metabolism and functions. Taking a systems approach is mandatory since biological systems act as a whole with highly integrated and tightly controlled networks. We aim to dissect the complex lipid metabolic pathways to identify nodes of regulations to maintain the balance between physiology and pathology, which will have major translational implications. To this end, we have been developing analytical and information technologies to capture the lipidomes of model organisms and medically relevant systems including human immune cells and infectious agents such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other bacteria, viruses and fungi. We will apply these tools to scrutinize the functions of lipids in human health and diseases.