Metabolomics Current Contents

Recently published papers in metabolomics:

Lipidomics of Alzheimer's disease.
Stable isotope-labeling studies in metabolomics: new insights into structure and dynamics of metabolic networks.
Habitual dietary intake impacts on the lipidomic profile.
Analytical method evaluation and discovery of variation within maize varieties in the context of food safety: Transcript profiling and metabolomics.

Metabolomics approach for the discrimination of raw and steamed Gastrodia elata using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
Patch clamp electrophysiology and capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry metabolomics for single cell characterization.
Metabolomic approach for discrimination of processed ginseng genus (Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius) using UPLC-QTOF MS.
Investigating the pathological processes of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and proliferative vitreoretinopathy with metabolomics analysis.
Metabolomic evaluation of the response to endocrine therapy in patients with prostate cancer.
Statistical hypothesis testing of factor loading in principal component analysis and its application to metabolite set enrichment analysis.
Study of induction chemotherapy efficacy in oral squamous cell carcinoma using pseudo-targeted metabolomics.
A combination of metallomics and metabolomics studies to evaluate the effects of metal interactions in mammals. Application to Mus musculus mice under arsenic/cadmium exposure.
Genetic mapping of semi-polar metabolites in pepper fruits (Capsicum sp.): towards unravelling the molecular regulation of flavonoid quantitative trait loci.
The Impact of a Transposon Insertion in phzF2 on the Specialized Metabolite Production and Interkingdom Interactions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
A metabolomics-based approach for predicting stages of chronic kidney disease.

MetaboNews

26 Feb 2014	Understanding the fundamental metabolic workings of a cell in a changing environment Fungal geneticist Scott Baker rifles through a stack of petri dishes housed in a small refrigerator at EMSL. He selects a plate dotted with white cauliflower-shaped colonies of fungus, punctuated by one brazen smudge that stands out from the rest. "This one is red. Not sure why," Baker says. Each colony on the plate is a different mutant of Yarrowia lipolytica, an oil-producing yeast that Baker and his collaborators at MIT, UCLA and Sweden's Chalmers University hope to coax into pumping out biofuel. The small room where the mutants reside contains only basic equipment for growing and looking at the microbes. But Baker, the Science Theme Lead for Biosystem Dynamics and Design at EMSL, knows that just down the hall a whole slough of instruments awaits the mutants. "This is only the staging area," Baker says. Metabolomics may have a long way to go before it catches up to proteomics, Metz says, but EMSL's progress is in full swing. The world-class mass spectrometry facility that has driven EMSL's leadership in proteomics is now being tweaked to accommodate metabolomics as well. Chemists in the NMR facility are developing methods to sample living cultures as they grow, and systems biologists are employing supercomputers to run simulations of the metabolic cycles that drive the cell. Metz and his colleagues are in the throes of developing a custom metabolomics facility that will unite many of these diverse capabilities into a common space, streamlining experiments and giving top priority to users interested in metabolomics "The Holy Grail in all of these 'omics approaches is to make a predictive model of how the cell works, and we're still a long way from doing that," says EMSL scientist and PNNL Laboratory Fellow H. Steven Wiley. "The whole idea about systems biology is to understand how the whole organism works so you can engineer it. To do that you really need a predictive model, and you need a way to test the model. And unless you can measure a lot of the metabolites and intermediates, there's no way you can test these predictive models." The challenges of metabolomics may be vast, but EMSL scientists, users and collaborators are all in. The Yarrowia lipolytica biofuels project, funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research, is a prime example of how scientists will draw on several techniques to yield metabolomics results. For most of the samples the team analyzes, a simple methanol/chloroform extraction can transform one "tube of goo" (as Metz puts it) into three layers, each containing its own unique slurry of compounds: polar metabolites (such as carbohydrates, amino acids and some vitamins), lipids or proteins. Each of these layers can then be analyzed using specialized instruments to get a snapshot of cellular metabolism. The polar metabolites, which rise to the top, are amenable to analysis by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, or GC-MS. "GC-MS is one of the best methods for identifying polar metabolites with high confidence," says Metz, who specializes in mass spectrometry and participates in the Yarrowia project with Baker. As opposed to liquid chromatography, in which molecules interact with both the column and liquid mobile phase in various (and sometimes mysterious) ways, GC requires a chemical derivatization step that levels the playing field. Once derivatized, the molecules interact with only the GC column in a consistent way, yielding a reproducible separation together with a mass spectrum that can be compared between instruments at different facilities. This consistency has yielded the construction of useful GC-MS spectral reference libraries that scientists can use to identify chemical species in a mixture. Metz often draws on Agilent's library, which contains both retention indices and mass spectra for 700 metabolites. The ultimate goal of the Yarrowia project is to coax the microbe to produce biofuels in the form of lipids such as triacylglycerides. The yeast shunts lipids into storage chambers called "lipid bodies," and project scientists plan to analyze the types of lipids produced in response to different environmental and genetic modifications. But complex lipids aren't amenable to analysis by GC-MS (or NMR), so the lipid fraction of each sample gets analyzed by liquid chromatography-MS. Unfortunately, reference libraries of lipids don't exist to the same extent as those for polar metabolites amenable to GC-MS. So PNNL scientists are in the process of putting together their own lipid library. "We must rely on MS data to inform us what the most likely identification is, then we pick the corresponding retention time and m/z and put it in the database," Metz says. This "lipidomics" capability is a major contribution PNNL scientists are making to the greater Yarrowia project, which spans multiple institutions and incorporates genomics, computational models and eventually re-engineering of the microbe. Meanwhile, Baker takes different approaches to study the movement of lipids throughout yeast cells. Drawing on flow cytometry, microscopy and MS imaging techniques, Baker's team analyzes how lipid storage changes with yeast development. "We would like to see metabolomics go beyond just the 'omics part," Baker says. "We want to see metabolomics in time and space." That means looking at the way metabolites get shuttled in between different compartments of the cell, and in between different microbes in a community. Understanding metabolism on both an intra- and intercellular level will be a necessary step in engineering microbes to produce certain products. After all, Baker says, "We're asking a lot of these microbes." Source: Phys.org
18 Feb 2014	Patti wins Sloan Research Fellowship The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced Feb. 17th that WUSTL’s Gary Patti has been awarded a 2014 Sloan Research Fellowship. He is among 126 outstanding U.S. and Canadian researchers selected as fellowship recipients this year. Awarded annually since 1955, the fellowships are given to early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them as rising stars, the next generation of scientific leaders. “For more than half a century, the Sloan Foundation has been proud to honor the best young scientific minds and support them during a crucial phase of their careers when early funding and recognition can really make a difference,” said Dr. Paul L. Joskow, President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “These researchers are pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge in unprecedented ways.” ” I am pleased and excited that Gary has been named a Sloan Fellow,” said William Buhro, PhD, professor and chair of chemistry. “Patti is a pioneer in the rapidly developing field of metabolomics, in which the wide arrays of small-molecule metabolites in biological systems are profiled. Metabolomics presents a massive data-analysis challenge, to which Gary is contributing new technologies. He is also applying his new metabolomics technologies to study the biochemistry of disease states, which will advance medical therapies.” “The goal of metabolomics is to take a urine, blood or tissue sample, analyze it with an instrument called a mass spectrometer, and acquire a complete profile of all of the small molecules in the sample,” said Patti, PhD, assistant professor in the departments of chemistry, genetics and medicine. The profile might reveal whether the sample donor is ill, at risk of developing a disease, has been exposed to a toxin, or is unable to tolerate a drug therapy. Metabolomics has already provided unparalleled insight into previously opaque illnesses, such as chronic pain. “We identified a molecule that, prior to our studies, was not known to be a naturally occurring compound. We have demonstrated that this molecule is an important player in mediating chronic pain, and this has opened up new avenues for therapies that could help millions of people,” Patti said. His lab is also hot on the trail of sarcopenia, the muscle wasting that occurs in some elderly patients and leads to “frailty” that has also resisted scientific inquiry in the past. They identified six small molecules associated with aging in Caenorhabditis elegans, a worm that scientists use as a model system. Two of these compounds change as a function of age in healthy human skeletal tissue and may be involved in sarcopenia. In the meantime the group is establishing a library of metabolite levels in long-lived model organisms. Past Sloan Research Fellows include physicist Richard Feynman and game theorist John Nash. Since the beginning of the program in 1955, 42 fellows have received a Nobel Prize in their respective field, 16 have won the Fields Medal in mathematics, 13 have won the John Bates Clark Medal in economics, and 63 have received the National Medal of Science. Scientists in eight scientific and technical fields—chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, evolutionary and computational molecular biology, neuroscience, ocean sciences, and physics—are eligible for the awards. The fellowships are awarded through close cooperation with the scientific community. Candidates must be nominated by their fellow scientists, and winning fellows are selected by an independent panel of senior scholars on the basis of a candidate’s independent research accomplishments, creativity, and potential to become a leader in his or her field. Source: Washington University in St. Louis
17 Feb 2014	US launch carries great expectations CORK firm Metabolomic Diagnostics is preparing to launch the world’s first test for pre-eclampsia in early pregnancy on the US market next year. The long-term aim is to sell the test to every country in the world and the expectation of company founder and chief executive Charles Garvey is that the company could earn revenues of tens of millions of euro within five years. Set up to commercialise technology developed at UCC, Metabolomic Diagnostics is based at Little Island, where it employs a team of five scientists. Participating in a €6m EU-funded research project on biomarkers in pregnant women, the company raised venture capital funding of €750,000 last month, which is being used to advance commercialisation of the research. According to Mr Garvey, the pre-eclampsia test has the potential to transform maternal and fetal care globally, improving quality of care and reducing costs. “Between 70,000 and 80,000 women die every year from pre-eclampsia and around 500,000 infants die annually as a direct result of the condition,” he reveals. The commercial potential of the test is indicated by the fact that in the US alone, $7bn (€5.1bn) is spent annually on prenatal care associated with pre-eclampsia. The formation of Metabolomic Diagnostics came about as a result of an introduction which took place through the Enterprise Ireland Business Partners programme. Mr Garvey, a serial entrepreneur with experience in growing Irish technology companies internationally, met UCC professor of obstetrics Louise Kenny, who had been researching pre-eclampsia since 2007. He saw global potential in the early detection test she had been working on. “The company was set up in 2011 specifically to license the research which had been patented by UCC,” says Mr Garvey, who was joined by two other experienced entrepreneurs, Paul Hands and Diarmuid Cahalane in establishing the new venture. Prof Kenny, who was awarded an Enterprise Ireland Life Science & Food Commercialisation award for developing the test, became a member of the company’s advisory board. Since 2011 the company’s researchers have been involved in validating the research and commercialising the test. Participation in the EU study will provide the firm with blood samples from 5,000 pregnant women to assist in this work. In December last year the company secured €750,000 through a syndicate of investors, which included SOSventures Ireland Fund, AIB Seed Capital Fund and Enterprise Ireland — which had identified Metabolomic Diagnostics as a High Potential Start-Up in 2013. Mr Garvey expects the first version of the test, which is called PrePsia, to be ready for launch in the US market in 2015. “We have chosen to launch in the US first because of its population size and the market spend,” he says, explaining that many life-science companies start with a US launch. The aim is to partner with a major US laboratory, which will help speed up the process of getting regulatory approval for the new test there. Getting regulatory approval for every country is a time-consuming and expensive process. “It makes sense to start with a market with a population of 310m. We can use revenues generated in the US market to help fund the roll-out in other countries.” Mr Garvey has already had discussions with potential US partners and has engaged with the Food and Drugs Administration. He says the company has also looked at regulatory requirements in other markets with a view to expanding. In the future, it hopes to develop tests to detect other complications of pregnancy such as gestational diabetes, pre-term delivery and underdeveloped foetuses. For now, the focus is on finalising the research and producing the first version of the test in readiness for commercial launch. Source: Irish Examiner

Please note: If you know of any metabolomics news that we should feature in future issues of this newsletter, please email Ian Forsythe (metabolomics.innovation@gmail.com).

Metabolomics Events

2 March 2014	Introduction to Metabolomics course at the upcoming Pittcon conference Venue: Chicago, USA This course will provide an introduction to various global and targeted metabolomics approaches using liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The course will briefly cover practical and fundamental aspects of sample preparation, LC-MS analysis, experimental design, quality control, data processing, statistical interpretation including multivariate statistical analysis and metabolite identification strategies in the context of global metabolomics. Examples from various fields including biomedical, clinical, life sciences will be highlighted throughout the course. Strategies to enhance metabolite coverage and data quality for a given application will be discussed in detail. Practical examples and critical discussion will be incorporated throughout the course to deepen the participants’ understanding of the field of metabolomics and understand current advantages and limitations of various metabolomic approaches. For further information, please visit the Pittcon website.
4 March 2014	Bruker Metabolomics Canada Spring Tour 2014 Venue: University of Alberta Campus, Edmonton, Canada Three presentations: two on metabolomics using LC-MS, NMR and GC-MS; one on microbial identification by MALDI-TOF Whisky, Coffee, and the Resulting Effects: Combining food with clinical metabolomics based on high resolution GC-MS and LC-MS Aiko Barsch, Ph.D., Metabolomics Marketing Manager, Bruker Metabolomics is an integral part of the whole OMICS picture. In the final step of the omics cascade, the metabolome changes as a result of the genome, transcriptome and proteome. These changes in the small molecule profile most closely express the phenotype. In consequence, metabolomics has gained major attention in human health, food and nutrition, and many other diverse areas of research. This presentation will cover several topics of interest to food and clinical researchers, based on high resolution LC-MS and GC-MS analysis. The first is on the intensity of coffee blends as determined by the concentration of specific small molecules. The second describes a diabetes biomarker research study in which the identification of a single metabolite explained an unexpected trend in the data. Finally, in food authenticity, whisky types correlated with geographic regions. The typical workflow involves 1) non-targeted profiling using high resolution LC-MS or GC-MS; 2) differentiation of the profiles by statistics; 3) identification of sources of grouping and differentiation; followed by 4) validation of putative biomarkers using targeted approaches. In particular, the identification of the sources of grouping and differentiation will be discussed. Compounds analyzed by LC-MS were tentatively identified by generating unique molecular formulas, based on accurate mass and isotopic patterns. Subsequent in-silico fragmentation and exploration generated single candidate structures. The reliable identification of these compounds saved analysis time and the acquisition of multiple reference materials to confirm the identity of the target compounds. NMR in Metabolomics: Applications to Human Disease, Food and Botanicals Kim Colson, Ph.D., Business Development Manager/R&D, Bruker MALDI-TOF Applications for Food Science Shannon Cornett, Ph.D., Applications Research Manager, Bruker The latest revolution in microbiology uses MALDI-TOF mass spec. Bacteria and fungi are identified within minutes, frequently to the species level. There are many other applications with the same technology. Some additional applications include: Rapid (<1min) sequence information from intact pure proteins even when the N-terminus is blocked Characterization of post-translational modifications Quantitation by stable-isotope immunoassay Molecular imaging This presentation will introduce you to current technologies from Bruker, the world leader in MALDI systems that are driving these application. You will see examples of the most common applications as well as have an opportunity to learn more in a question and answer round-table discussion following the presentation. RSVP to Jim Kapron by email to jim.kapron@bruker.ca or by phone at 780-243-4926. For more information, see the event flyer.
6 March 2014	MzTab for Metabolomics Workshop Venue: Tübingen, Germany On 6th of March 2014, COSMOS members together with the PSI community are holding the first “mzTab for metabolomics” workshop in Tübingen, Germany. Our aim is to drive reporting of metabolomic results further using a standardized, open, easy accessible and human readable tabular format. MzTab (version 1.0) already provides basic support for reporting small molecules that we plan to extend and harmonize with the more advanced reporting scheme for proteins and peptides available in MzTab. General information: This will be a joint MSI and PSI workshop to improve the representation of Metabolomics and Small-Molecule Identification and Quantification in mzTab. The workshop is another step towards coordination of standards between the proteomics and metabolomics communities and we would like to invite the interested individuals to join in our effort. mzTab can be used for reporting both metabolite identification and metabolomics quantification. After extensive research and discussions within the consortium and members of the MSI and PSI community, we are convinced that mzTab is the medium of choice for capturing and reporting such metabolomics results. To test and evaluate the standard, the mzTab development is accompanied by early implementations, e.g., in development versions of the OpenMS (http://open-ms.sourceforge.net/), or separate export functions for XCMS and CAMERA (http://www.bioconductor.org/) software tools. In addition, the MetaboLights metabolomics database (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/metabolights) accepts the quantification and identification of metabolites in a subset of mzTab, soon to be updated to the full compatible version, once the final discussions on the mzTab format for small molecules are completed. For more information, visit http://cosmos-fp7.eu/mzTab.
17-21 Mar 2014	EMBO Practical Course on Metabolomics Bioinformatics for Life Scientists Venue: The European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK (See map: Google Maps) Date: Monday, March 17, 2014 - Friday, March 21, 2014 Organizers: Reza Salek, EMBL-EBI & Cambridge University, UK Laura Emery, EMBL-EBI, UK Registration Opens: Thursday, August 1, 2013 Registration Deadline: Friday, January 17, 2014 (12:00 midday GMT) Acceptance Notification Date: Friday, January 31, 2014 Participation: Open application with selection Overview This course will provide an overview of key issues that affect metabolomics studies, bioinformatics tools, and procedures for the analysis of metabolomics data. It will be delivered using a mixture of lectures, computer-based practical sessions and interactive discussions. The course will provide a platform for discussion of the key questions and challenges in the field of metabolomics. Audience This course is aimed at PhD students and researchers with a minimum of one year’ s experience in the field of metabolomics who are seeking to improve their skills in metabolomics data analysis. Participants must have experience using R (including a basic understanding of the syntax and ability to manipulate objects) and the UNIX/LINUX operating system. For more information, visit http://www.ebi.ac.uk/training/course/metabolomics-2014.
18-21 Mar 2014	5th International Singapore Lipid Symposium Venue: National University of Singapore Organizer: A/Prof. Markus R Wenk The Singapore Lipid Symposium (biennial, since 2006) has rapidly evolved into a key event to keep up to date for novel developments in lipidomics in Asia Pacific. Based on past experience, we are expecting participation of approximately 150-200 from around the world and representation from a wide range of areas in the life sciences across academia and industry. The official launch of a new network dedicated to deciphering lipidomics variations will be a major first highlight, followed by community building workshops and the main symposium session. For more details, please visit http://www.lipidprofiles.com/index.php?id=82
19 Mar 2014	Prospects and Pitfalls in Metabolomics: From Study Designs to Interpreting Data in Biomedical Applications Live Webcast: Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at 8:00 AM PDT/10:00 AM CDT/11:00 AM EDT Editors’ Series: Prospects and Pitfalls in Metabolomics: From Study Designs to Interpreting Data in Biomedical Applications In this web seminar, Professor Oliver Fiehn of UC Davis will explain the importance of different steps in the metabolomic workflow and how to avoid the most dramatic pitfalls along the way. Key topics covered will include defining a suitable hypothesis, designing a study, preparing biological specimen for comprehensive chemical analysis, choosing the most suitable analytical platforms, analyzing raw data including identification of metabolites, using quality controls and validations, and interpreting the data on the background of biomedical questions. Examples will be given from published work using blood plasma in human cohort studies and animal models. Moderator: Laura Bush Editorial Director LCGC and Spectroscopy Speaker: Prof. Oliver Fiehn, PhD Director, West Coast Metabolomics Center UC Davis Genome Center University of California, David IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ This is a FREE streaming audio Webcast and does not require a phone line. If you have any questions regarding this Webcast, please contact Kristen Moore, kmoore@advanstar.com. Register for this FREE Webcast! For details, visit the event website.
7-11 Apr 2014	Leiden University: Workshop Metabolomics 2014 Basics and Applications to Plant Sciences Venue: Leiden, The Netherlands Dates April 7 - 11, 2014, workshop April 14 - 18, 2014, hands-on (optional) April 21 - 25, 2014, wrapping up of workshop and hands on (optional) Description and aim of the workshop Metabolomics has become an important tool in life sciences, including studies of plant interaction with its environment and studies on the activity of medicinal plants. The workshop is organized by the Institute of Biology, Leiden University. The workshop is particularly aimed at researchers experienced with the isolation and identification of natural products but do not have experience yet with metabolomics. Topics Primary and Secondary Metabolism in Plants Analytical Techniques: Chromatography, MS, NMR Basics of Multivariate Data Analysis Applications in Plant Sciences Costs 800 Euro for the workshop. Including handout, lunches (April 7-11), drinks and one workshop dinner (hotel accommodation is not included) 200 Euro for the hands-on. Including supervision and use of the laboratory equipment (hotel accommodation is not included) 25 Euro for the wrapping up. Including supervision (hotel accommodation is not included) Maximum number of participants (First come first served) For the workshop, April 7-11: 25 participants For the hands-on, April 14-18: 10 participants For wrapping up, April 21-25: 10 participants Organized by Young Hae Choi, Jos Frantzen, and Rob Verpoorte. For more information, email j.frantzen@drsupport.nl. Registration deadline: 31 March 2014 The workshop flyer is available here. For more details, please visit http://www.plantsandmetabolomics.nl/
30 Apr 2014	Analytical Tools for Cutting-edge Metabolomics - a joint meeting of the Analytical Division of the RSC and the international Metabolomics Society Venue: Chemistry Centre, Burlington House, London, UK (Google Map Location) Date: 30 April 2014, 09:30-16:45 Analytical chemistry has been one of the driving forces behind the development of metabolomics research over the past decade. The conference will bring together exceptional scientists for a program consisting of plenary and invited talks, posters, as well as an oral session devoted to early career researchers. It will be an excellent opportunity for analytical chemists to learn more about metabolomics and its application, and for metabolomics scientists to improve their knowledge of cutting-edge bioanalytical tools. Deadline for submission of abstracts: 14 March 2014 Speaker Information: Prof. Jeremy Nicholson, Imperial College, London UK - Plenary speaker Dr Julian Griffin, MRC Human Nutrition Research, Cambridge, UK Prof. Roy Goodacre, University of Manchester, UK Prof. Jean-Luc Wolfender, University of Geneva, Switzerland Dr Steffen Neumann, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, IPB Halle, Germany Prof Paul Thomas, Loughborough University For more details, please visit the event website.
19-21 May 2014	8e Journées Scientifiques du Réseau Français de Métabolomique et Fluxomique (RFMF) Venue: Lyon, France The French Metabolomics and Fluxomics Network (RFMF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of metabolomics and fluxomics, and the promotion of the presentation of research achievements in these domains, in France. Since 2005, RFMF has organized a total of 7 congresses in France (Toulouse 2005, Saint Sauves d’Auvergne 2006, Bordeaux 2008, Marseilles 2010, Paris 2011, Nantes 2012 and Amiens 2013). The number of laboratories and attendees has grown steadily over the years. In October 2013, the RFMF and the international Metabolomics Society form an international affiliation. The Amiens RFMF Congress (7 JS RFMF) took place in 2013 due to the generous support of Picardie Jules Verne University and various corporations. This event featured three keynote speakers, Age Smilde, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Joachim Kopka, Golm-Postdam, Germany and Reza Salek, Cambridge, UK presenting state-of-the-art topics for metabolomics. This event was very successful, with 162 attendees from 75 public and private laboratories, 59 high-quality scientific presentations, 4 workshops and 6 industrial seminars. Four conferences, one workshop and one industrial seminar were held in English. The 2013 event gave an opportunity to gauge the strength and dynamic qualities of the French or French-speaking metabolomics and fluxomics community. The 8th RFMF Congress will take place in Lyon (Eastern France) in May 19-21, 2014. The Metabolomic Community of the Lyon and Rhône-Alpes Region laboratories is the local organizer of the 2014 edition. The key topics, chosen by Lyon metabolomics community, for the 8th RFMF Congress are: Applications of Metabolomics and Fluxomics in the areas of the Health (clinical applications, epidemiology, cohort study, neurosciences) Applications of Metabolomics and Fluxomics in the areas of Environment and Chemical ecology The event will include invited plenary lectures, oral presentations, short presentations, and a poster session. The conference languages are French and English. Most of the abstracts and slide presentations will be written in English. Confirmed invited speakers include Miroslava Cuperlovic-Culf, from Moncton, Canada, Emmanuel Gacquerel, from Jena, Germany, Thomas Illig, from Hannover, Germany and Mark Viant, from Birmingham, UK. The 8th RFMF Congress will include several workshops, one of them dealing with the Galaxy platform (workflow for metabolomics), one dealing with “Sample preparation for metabolomics study”, and a third one with “MetaboLights and COSMOS initiative”. RFMF is generously supporting the attendance of students or post-docs (under 35 years old) at The 8th RFMF Congress Lyon 2014 through the provision of travel grants (up to €1000 for overseas applicants). For more information on the 8th RFMF Congress, please visit https://colloque.inra.fr/8_js_rfmf_lyon_2014
22-23 May 2014	Metabolomics Conference - Advances & Applications in Human Disease Venue: Hyatt Regency Cambridge, Cambridge, USA The Metabolomics – Advances & Applications in Human Disease conference will focus on the clinical aspects in the metabolomics field such as advances in metabolite markers for use in personalized medicine, novel computational approaches for metabolome assessment and discuss developments in clinical assay standardization/qualification for the implementation of metabolite markers in clinical development of drug candidates. Special offer for Metabolomics Society Members and MetaboNews Subscribers: Receive 30% off Registration with discount Code: meta30 Distinguished Speakers Richard Beger, Director, Biomarkers and Alternative Models Branch, Division of Systems Biology, National Center for Toxicological Research, FDA Susan Cheng, Associate Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School Robert H. Weiss, Professor & Chief of Nephrology, Sacramento VA Medical Center, University of California, Davis David Wishart, Professor, Computing Science & Biological Sciences, University of Alberta View the full list of speakers Agenda Highlights Keynote Presentations: Metabolomics of Acetaminophen Overdose in Rodents and Children Quantitative Metabolomics & Medical Biomarkers: Challenges & Opportunities Sessions: Metabolite Identification – Targets and Hits & Pathways Standardization & Validation Computational Approaches to Assessing the Metabolome Advances in Metabolite Markers for Personalized Medicine Technological Advances Clinical Assays for Metabolite Markers View the detailed agenda This conference is co-located with the Drug Discovery Summit 2014, which includes the conferences: Bioanalytical Sensors GPCR Structure, Function & Drug Discovery Single Cell Analysis To register, click here. For more information, see the event flyer or visit http://www.gtcbio.com/conference/metabolomics-overview
16-17 Jun 2014	Informatics and Statistics for Metabolomics (2014) Venue: Vancouver, BC, Canada Course Objectives A poster announcing this workshop can be found here. The workshop will cover many topics ranging from understanding metabolomics technologies, data collection and analysis, using pathway databases, performing pathway analysis, conducting univariate and multivariate statistics, working with metabolomic databases and exploring chemical databases. Participants will be given various data sets and short assignments to assist with the learning process. Target Audience This course is intended for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, clinical fellows and investigators who are interested in learning about both bioinformatic and cheminformatic tools to analyze and interpret metabolomics data. Prerequisite: Your own laptop computer. Minimum requirements: 1024x768 screen resolution, 1.5GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, recent versions of Windows, Mac OS X or Linux (Most computers purchased in the past 3-4 years likely meet these requirements). If you do not access to a laptop, you may loan one from the CBW. Please contact course_info@bioinformatics.ca for more information. Pre-Readings: You are expected to have completed the following tutorials in R beforehand. The tutorial should be very accessible even if you have never used R before. Please complete the following: R Tutorial For more information, visit http://bioinformatics.ca/workshops/2014/informatics-and-statistics-metabolomics-2014.
23-26 Jun 2014	Metabolomics 2014: 10th Annual International Conference of the Metabolomics Society The Official Joint Conference of the Metabolomics Society and Plant Metabolomics Platform The Official Annual Meeting of the Metabolomics Society Venue: Tsuruoka, Japan Health, medical, pharmaceutical, nutritional, agricultural, microbial, bioenergy, environmental and plant sciences meet biochemical, analytical and computational technologies. We are delighted to host the 10th Anniversary of the International Conference of the Metabolomics Society (Metabolomics2014) at Keio University in Tsuruoka City, where the very first meeting of the society was held in 2005. Since then, Tsuruoka has grown to “a city of metabolomics”; various additional research buildings have been built, and two spin-out companies established. Tsuruoka is a pretty city located 500 km north of Tokyo (about 1 hour flight), and surrounded by beautiful Japanese nature, historic spots, and exotic culture. You will also enjoy the best authentic Japanese food and sake (rice wine), as well as hot springs. So, come celebrate the 10th anniversary of the society, and enjoy high-quality scientific presentations by top-notch researchers around the world. Early registration and abstract submission due March 31, 2014. For detailed information about Metabolomics 2014, visit http://metabolomics2014.org.
10-12 Sep 2014	Metabomeeting 2014 Venue: The Royal Institution, London, UK SELECTBIO are delighted to announce that we are partnering with the Metabolic Profiling Forum (MPF) to host Metabomeeting 2014. The MPF will focus on the conference program while SELECTBIO will take care of logistics, promotion and exhibition/sponsorship activities.We are expecting up to 300 attendees offering a unique opportunity to network with key researchers who are making innovative discoveries within this field. Call for Papers If you would like to be considered for an oral presentation at this meeting, Submit an abstract for review now! Oral Presentation Submission Deadline: 31 January 2014 Call for Posters You can also present your research on a poster while attending the meeting. Submit an abstract for consideration now! Poster Submission Deadline: 27 August 2014 Agenda Topics Applied Metabolomics Drug Discovery and Pharma Human Disease Human Health and Nutrition Microbial, Invertebrate and Environmental Applications Plants Data Analysis and Integration with Systems Biology Metabolite Identification For more details, please visit the conference website.
29-30 Oct 2014	Clinical Applications of Mass Spectrometry Venue: Barcelona, Spain With the ability to measure multiple analytes with high sensitivity, often faster and more cheaply than other methods, mass spectrometry is becoming an attractive method of analysis for the clinic. Featuring an array of leading researchers and clinicians, SELECTBIO’s Clinical Applications of Mass Spectrometry conference aims to provide you with an insight into the latest developments in this area. As the analytical power of mass spec is realised, the range of applications using this technology continues to expand. Focus at this meeting will be given to both traditional & emerging uses of MS in the clinic. Hot topics to be covered include developments of MS in applications ranging from vitamin D detection to newborn blood spot analysis. Attending this event will provide you with excellent opportunities for networking with like minded peers, helping you to build new relationships and optimise your workflow. Running alongside the conference will be an exhibition covering the latest technological advances and associated services from leading solution providers within this field. Registered delegates will also have access to the co-located Food Analysis Congress, ensuring a cost effective trip. Keynote Speakers: Donald Hunt, Professor, University of Virginia Haroun Shah, Head, Molecular Identification Services, Department for Bioanalysis and Horizon Technologies, Public Health England For more details, please visit http://selectbiosciences.com/conferences/index.aspx?conf=CAMS2014
29-30 Oct 2014	Food Analysis Congress Safety, Quality, Novel Technologies Venue: Barcelona, Spain SELECTBIO’s inaugural Food Analysis Congress aims to present the latest developments in food analysis technologies, in response to the increasing demand for rapid and efficient food safety and quality testing. Focus will be given to advances in both the analysis of natural food allergens and toxins, as well as contaminants introduced through processing and packaging. Points for discussion will also include the ongoing issue of food traceability and efforts to reduce food fraud. Attending this event will provide you with excellent opportunities for networking with like minded peers, helping you to find solutions and build collaborations. Running alongside the conference will be an exhibition covering the latest technological advances and associated services from leading solution providers within this field. Registered delegates will also have access to the co-located Clinical Applications of Mass Spectrometry track, ensuring a cost effective trip. For more details, please visit http://selectbiosciences.com/conferences/index.aspx?conf=FAC2014
28 Jun to 2 Jul 2015	Metabolomics 2015: 11th Annual International Conference of the Metabolomics Society The Official Annual Meeting of the Metabolomics Society Venue: San Francisco, USA Details to follow. Stay abreast of the latest Metabolomics Society news via the Twitter feed on the front page of the website (http://www.metabolomicssociety.org). Also you can follow us on Twitter: Metabolomics Society @MetabolomicsSoc and Metabolomics journal @Metabolomics. And you can visit us on Facebook. Please come back later for detailed information about Metabolomics 2015 by visiting http://metabolomics2015.org.

Please note: If you know of any metabolomics lectures, meetings, workshops, or training sessions that we should feature in future issues of this newsletter, please email Ian Forsythe (metabolomics.innovation@gmail.com).

Metabolomics Jobs

This is a resource for advertising positions in metabolomics. If you have a job you would like posted in this newsletter, please email Ian Forsythe (metabolomics.innovation@gmail.com). Job postings will be carried for a maximum of 4 issues (8 weeks) unless the position is filled prior to that date.

Jobs Offered

Job Title	Employer	Location	Posted	Closes	Source
Director of Computational Biology	Dynamic Biomarker Company		24-Feb-2014		FPC Cambridge
Metabolomics Faculty Position	Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine	Baltimore, USA	20-Feb-2014	01-Apr-2014	Metabolomics Society
PhD CASE studentship in Development of metabolomics tools for clinical metabolomics	University of Birmingham	Birmingham, UK	13-Feb-2014	14-Mar-2014	Metabolomics Society
PhD CASE studentship in Development of metabolomics tools for environmental metabolomics	University of Birmingham	Birmingham, UK	13-Feb-2014	14-Mar-2014	Metabolomics Society
PhD in Identifying metabolomic contributions to disease mechanisms in dwarfisms caused by extracellular matrix gene defects	University of Manchester	Manchester, UK	3-Feb-2014	1-May-2014	University of Manchester

Jobs Wanted

This section is intended for very highly qualified individuals (e.g., lab managers, professors, directors, executives with extensive experience) who are seeking employment in metabolomics. We encourage these individuals to submit their position requests to Ian Forsythe (metabolomics.innovation@gmail.com). Upon review, a limited number of job submissions will be selected for publication in the Jobs Wanted section.

Jobs Wanted in Germany: [Candidate's CV]
Research or Lab Manager Position Sought (Candidate has extensive NMR metabolomics experience and knowledge including NMR instrumentation maintenance): [Candidate's CV]

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Ian J. Forsythe, M.Sc.
Editor

MetaboNews

Department of Computing Science
University of Alberta
221 Athabasca Hall
Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E8, Canada

Email: metabolomics.innovation@gmail.com
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This newsletter is published in partnership between The Metabolomics Innovation Centre (TMIC, http://www.metabolomicscentre.ca/) and the Metabolomics Society (http://www.metabolomicssociety.org) for the benefit of the worldwide metabolomics community.

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