Metabolomic (lipidomic) Profiling Facility

The Baker Institute’s Metabolomic Profiling Facility allows us to systematically study the unique metabolite (small-molecule) fingerprints of biological systems.

Analytical platform

 The facility comprises of 4x triple quadrupole mass spectrometers (Agilent 6495C) each coupled to a 1290 Infinity II LC System. These systems are set up for high-throughput analysis of lipids in human plasma and serum, as well as more in-depth analysis of lipids in isolated from tissues, cells and other biological materials. The facility also houses a quadrupole time of flight instrument (Agilent 6546 Q-TOF) coupled to a 1290 Infinity II LC System used for high resolution untargeted analysis of both lipids and metabolites across all biological samples.

Our approach and capabilities

We have developed a high throughput lipidomics approach that enables the analysis of approximately 800 lipid species from over 35 lipid classes and subclasses (see Table 1). The analysis is performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry on one of the instruments within the Metabolomics laboratory. We use stable isotope internal standards (approximately one per class) to provide semi-quantitative data on each of the over 800 lipid species.

This analysis typically required only small amounts of biological material (10 μL plasma or 50 μg cellular protein from cell or tissue homogenates).

Study design

 We can advise on appropriate experimental design to minimise variance across the experiment and maximise statistical power. Experiments can comprise anywhere from 20 to over 5000 samples. The appropriate use of quality control samples provides for standardisation across and between analytical runs.

Lipid extraction

 We have developed SOPs for lipid extraction from biological fluids, cells and tissues that provide high recoveries and reproducibility.

Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry

 Our experienced researchers maintain and run the mass spectrometers for the analysis of in-house and external samples.

Data extraction and analysis

 Data processing is performed on specialised software available within the Metabolomics laboratory. Analysis of lipidomic data presents some specific challenges. We can also advise on, and support, subsequent statistical analysis with our established lipidomic workflow utilising open source R software to allow for ease of transparency in publication. These analyses can extend to multivariate modelling utilising machine learning approaches within a cross validation framework to create and evaluate classification or prediction models.