Makoto Arita: Biology of LipoQuality and the Lipidome Atlas

Abstract: Abnormal lipid metabolism is often a background factor of diseases, which may lead to the discovery of new seeds for drug discovery and medical applications. Recent advances in mass spectrometry technology have proposed the existence of more than 100,000 different lipid species in nature, suggesting that lipid molecules analyzed so far are only the tip of the iceberg. We have established a LC-MS/MS-based untargeted lipidomics platform equipped with MS-DIAL software that enables us to identify the structural diversity of lipids, and have been vigorously conducting research to identify new lipid molecules involved in the regulation of biological systems. The Lipidome Atlas Project is ongoing by utilizing MALDI-MSI to visualize the local environment created by specific lipids as lipidome signatures, and developing spatially integrated omics technology, namely spatial lipidomics integrated with spatial transcriptomics and proteomics on tissue sections. We aim to elucidate the mechanisms that create, regulate and recognize lipid diversity and its localization in vivo, and to elucidate diseases caused by the disruption of such mechanisms. The Lipidome Atlas will facilitate the discovery of new biological systems shaped by lipidome signatures, leading to an integrated understanding of lipid-centric biology.

Bio: Dr. Makoto Arita received his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo in 1997. Currently he is a Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and a Professor of Physiological Chemistry and Metabolism at Keio University, and a Team Director of RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences. Dr. Arita served as a principal investigator for "Biology of LipoQuality" a program project supported by JSPS Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (FY2015-2020). Now he is leading JST-ERATO Lipidome Atlas Project (FY2021-2026) to pioneer the spatiotemporal biology of lipid diversity through a creation of the Lipidome Atlas, and to discover unknown molecules associated with important biological processes. Also, he is a Core Director of the Keio University World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI-Bio2Q) (FY2022-2032) to integrate human biology, microbiome research, and quantum computing to explore the foundations of healthy longevity. Read more about his research here.

MDC-BIMSB conference room 0.61 and Zoom

https://mdc-berlin.zoom-x.de/j/65783162128?pwd=poKrKgy1HNHKaiRf8uNVMCAWaLdlbO.1

Meeting ID: 657 8316 2128

Passcode: 976457

Host:

Nikolaus Rajewsky

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