MetaboNews Masthead
Published in partnership between
TMIC and the Metabolomics Society
Issue 48 - August 2015

CONTENTS:


Online version of this newsletter:
 http://www.metabonews.ca/Aug2015/MetaboNews_Aug2015.htm

Welcome to the forty-eighth issue of MetaboNews, a monthly newsletter published in partnership between The Metabolomics Innovation Centre (TMIC, http://www.metabolomicscentre.ca/) and the international Metabolomics Society (http://www.metabolomicssociety.org/), to keep metabolomics researchers and other professionals informed about new technologies, software, databases, events, job postings, conferences, training opportunities, interviews, publications, awards, and other newsworthy items concerning metabolomics. MetaboNews represents the one-stop-shop for the very latest and most critical news about the science of metabolomics. In this issue, we feature a Metabolomics Spotlight article on the London Metabolomics Network and a metabolomics interview with Philipp Schatz of Metanomics Health.
This issue of MetaboNews is supported by:

Metanomics Health
    
Chenomx -- Metabolite Discovery & Measurement    
mzCloud Advanced Mass Spectral Database
Metanomics Health GmbH
Chenomx Inc.
mzCloud

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Metabolomics Society News

CONFERENCE CORNER

11th Annual International Conference of the Metabolomics Society
The 2015 Metabolomics conference was held in San Francisco from 29th June to 2nd July, and was the largest ever Metabolomics conference with almost 1000 delegates. The quality of the workshop and scientific presentations was exceptionally high across all technologies and applications related to metabolomics. The plenaries provided inspiring examples of how metabolomics enables a deeper understanding of biology and the application of metabolomics in real-world clinical settings. A highlight was the participation of students and early-career scientists, representing over 40 of the selected oral presentations. The future of metabolomics looks very promising! Congratulations to all the travel awardees, particularly the winners of the Metabolomics Student Prize, Jonas Zierer, and EMN prize, Andrew Palmer.
All abstracts are available for browsing at the conference website, http://metabolomics2015.org/, and selected presentations will be available online to members of the Metabolomics Society in the near future.

12th Annual International Conference of the Metabolomics Society
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Date: June 27 – June 30, 2016
Website: http://metabolomics2016.org/
Mark your calendars now for next year’s metabolomics conference. The combination of Irish hospitality and cutting-edge metabolomics science will make this the must-attend event of 2016.

Support for non-Society conferences and workshops
Small grants and travel awards to assist with local metabolomics meetings or workshops are available from the Metabolomics Society.
Congratulations to Justin Van Der Hooft for winning the EMN travel award for the 9th Meeting of the French Network of Metabolomics and Fluxomics, Lille, France.
Student/EMN travel awards are also available for the following meetings. Please see the individual websites for eligibility and application information:
 Larger sponsorships are available for major conferences in related disciplines to attract metabolomics-focused plenary speakers.
For more information, see http://metabolomicssociety.org/index.php/events/event-funding.
MEMBERS CORNER

 Early-career Members Network (EMN)
The EMN is dedicated to and run by early-career scientists who are members of the Metabolomics Society and are from academia, government, or industry. The network aims to provide a forum for metabolomics researchers at the start of their professional career.

Announcement of Opportunity: Applications sought from at least five additional early-career scientists to expand the EMN
Deadline: 31st August 2015
 
Background
As introduced during the Metabolomics Society Annual Conference in San Francisco, USA, in June/July 2015, we are inviting at least five early-career researchers to join the early-career committee of the Society's new Early-career Members Network (EMN). The mission of the EMN is to recognize the value and importance of our early-career members, to ensure that their views are heard and acted upon, ultimately improving their experience in metabolomics science and our community. We are looking for creative thinkers to address challenges, such as, how do we help early-career scientists enter and engage with our scientific community? What mechanisms can we construct to allow student contributions (talks and posters) to be openly discussed in a safe environment, where senior scientists can teach and advise, and where no question is too basic? What activities and benefits can we develop to encourage students and postdocs to want to join (and remain members of) the Metabolomics Society even in years when they do not attend the annual conference? What training courses are required? How else can the Society serve its early-career members?
 
Existing members of the EMN committee
Sastia Putri (Osaka University, Japan), David Liesenfeld (German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg, Germany), Thomas Payne (Imperial College London, UK), Ralf Weber (University of Birmingham, UK), Nicholas Rattray (University of Manchester, UK), Evangelia Daskalaki (University of Strathclyde, UK), Gabriel Valbuena (Imperial College London, UK), Justin van der Hooft (Glasgow Polyomics, UK), Vincent Asiago (DuPont Pioneer, USA), Jennifer Reid (University of Alberta, Canada), Biswapriya Misra, (University of Florida, USA), and Agnetta Kiss (Institute of Analytical Sciences, France)

Eligibility
We welcome applications from students conducting higher degrees (Masters, PhDs) in a metabolomics discipline or from those within 5 years of their PhD who are actively engaged in metabolomics science. As an international society we encourage applications from all continents. Successful applicants must be members of the Metabolomics Society (or immediately become members upon joining the task group).

Time Commitment
There is much exciting work to be done and much to achieve! Therefore we anticipate a contribution of up to two hours per week (on average). If the Early-career Members Network organises sessions at conferences or other events, time commitments will increase accordingly. Note also that the existing members of the EMN committee members span many time zones, so some conference calls may occur early or late in the day. No dedicated travel will be required for the EMN committee discussions. The appointment to the EMN committee is for one year initially, and may be extended up to three years. It is your responsibility to discuss this commitment with your supervisor(s) prior to applying.
 
Application Procedure
Please send the following, in one document (.docx or .pdf), to the EMN committee (info.emn@metabolomicssociety.org).
  1. One-page resume with relevant experience in developing and leading networking activities (e.g., student rep for other societies) plus your research experience in metabolomics (e.g., presentations, publications, etc.)
  2. Up to 300 words on why you fit the role and up to an additional 300 words (one page in total) on what ideas you are passionate about developing as part of the Early-career Members Network. Applications will then be reviewed by members of the Metabolomics Society’s Strategy Task Group and the existing EMN committee members, and successful candidates will be notified in September 2015.
Please feel free to contact us via info.emn@metabolomicssociety.org if you have any suggestions or comments regarding our planned activities this year (i.e., online webinars and workshops). If you think you have a great idea for a new activity we should organise then please share it with us; the EMN can only be a success with your support and ideas!

11th Annual Conference of the Metabolomics Society, San Francisco, USA
The EMN hosted four workshop sessions tailored for the needs of the early-career members. The subjects covered a range of subjects, including Big Data, Metabolic Pathways, Careers in Metabolomics, and Ethics in Research.
 EMN Reception at MetSoc 2015 Attendance Figure 1. EMN events were well attended by over 100 early career researchers from various countries and disciplines.

Membership News for 2015
For attendees who registered as non-members for the Metabolomics 2015 conference, congratulations! You are now officially members of the Metabolomics Society. An email will be sent to you soon with details of how to establish your membership credentials and how to log in to the members only section of the Society website. Membership confers a range of benefits which can be seen here as well as discounts on registration for our conferences and meetings. Membership runs from January to December each calendar year, so remember to renew your membership in December 2015 to continue to receive all the benefits of membership into 2016.

Because of difficulties with the online registration system, if you attended the Metabolomics 2015 as a non-member but have not already received an informative email, please send a copy of your registration payment document to metabolomics@askusa.com.
TASK GROUPS CORNER

International Affiliations Task Group
Ute Roessner (u.roessner@unimelb.edu.au)
The International Affiliation Task Group has met in San Francisco in June/July. Representatives from many affiliates and groups interested to become affiliates discussed how we can increase communication and establish a basis for knowledge and idea exchange. We have elected Merlijn van Rijswijk as the Chair of this Task Group. We will meet regularly via video or phone conferencing.

Data Quality Task Group
Dear Colleagues,

The Metabolomics Society was established to stimulate collaboration and association amongst scientists in academia, government and industry, and to help to develop the science of metabolomics. The Metabolomics Society recently formed the Data Quality Task Group (DQTG) and their goal is to promote robust Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) in the metabolomics community through increased awareness via communication, outreach and education and through the promotion of best working practices.

A key mechanism for supporting the growth of metabolomics is through the promotion of robust analytical measurements and this questionnaire will help the DQTG assess current analytical QA and QC practices in the community. The findings will be used to form and plan future QA and QC training, procedures and validation exercises with multiple international metabolomics groups.

We request that everyone complete the QA and QC questionnaire and distribute the link to other groups working in the metabolomics field.

We intend to analyze and publish the findings from this questionnaire widely to the metabolomics community, for example through the Metabolomics journal and online MetaboNews, and we intend for it to guide the development of advanced QA and QC within the global community.

Please complete the questionnaire below to enhance our knowledge on current analytical QA and QC within the metabolomics community.
 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DQTG001
 
The questionnaire will require approximately 20 minutes to complete.
 
All who respond and complete the questionnaire will be entered into a random prize draw for three $100 Amazon gift vouchers.

Sincerely,
The Metabolomics Society DQTG:
Dr. Daniel Bearden, Dr. Richard Beger, Dr. David Broadhurst, Dr. Warwick Dunn, Dr. Art Edison, Dr. Claude Guillou, Dr. Robert Trengove, Dr. Mark Viant and Dr. Ian Wilson


Industry Engagement Task Group (IETG)
The IETG is looking for corporate and institutional partners to expand the interactions between the Metabolomics Society and instrument vendors, service providers, suppliers, publishers and other institutions. If your business would like to learn more about this exciting opportunity, please visit our information portal.


OTHER RELATED NEWS

Intercomparison Information
Sign up for information concerning an upcoming multiplatform, urine intercomparison exercise. Please complete the form at http://www.metabolomicsmedia.org/intercomp/.

NIH Small Business Innovation Opportunity
Contract funding opportunity through the National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program:
NIH/NCI 34: Development of Metabolomics Data Integration Methods and Software

The purpose of this topic is to support the development of new and innovative methods to integrate metabolite data across analytical technologies and laboratory platforms, and in turn, design software tool(s) applying these methods for data integration. For additional information, see the following links:
 Point of contact for general questions about SBIR program and requirements of applicants:

Patricia Weber, DrPH
Program Director
SBIR Development Center
Phone: 240.276.5300
weberpa@mail.nih.gov


INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATES CORNER

Australian & New Zealand Metabolomics Network (ANZMN)
Visit www.anzmn.com.au
RMIT University in Melbourne is currently advertising PhD Scholarships. These are awarded on the basis of academic excellence and research potential to local and international candidates commencing from 1 January 2016 and undertaking a research doctoral degree (http://tinyurl.com/p8sloda). The Vice-Chancellor’s PhD Scholarships (VCPS) are particularly well suited to high achieving candidates (http://www1.rmit.edu.au/scholarships/vcps) but there are other funding options (http://tinyurl.com/nq6hjdp).
THE ANZMN would also like to remind MetaboNews readers to vote in the Analytical Scientist’s Power list 2015 at https://theanalyticalscientist.com/surveys/The-Analytical-Scientist-Power-List-2015/—it would be great to show the judges how much metabolomics influences analytical science.


PUBLICATIONS CORNER

 Metabolomics journal, Vol. 11, Issue 4, August 2015
See the latest issue of our journal at: http://link.springer.com/journal/11306/11/4/page/1

In addition to the many excellent research papers, this issue contains the following contributions on the Metabolomics Society pages. Here are two examples:
Stay abreast of the latest metabolomics news via the Twitter feed on the front page of the website. Also you can follow us on Twitter: Metabolomics Society @MetabolomicsSoc and Metabolomics journal @Metabolomics. And you can visit us on Facebook.

Voting for Directors of the Metabolomics Society – Poll Now Open!
All members of the Metabolomics Society are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the 2015 Board of Directors election. Voting is open now through August 26, 2015 at 11:59pm USA CST.

You can find a list of the nominees as well as their biographies and statements of interest on the Election page of the website. Each member can vote for up to four nominees. Please vote today!

NOTE: All members are required to enter the e-mail address associated with their membership. If you are not sure which e-mail address to use in the poll, please send an e-mail to Metabolomics@askusa.com and we will assist you. 

Please contribute to shaping the future of our Society by voting and playing an active role.

Metabolomics Society 2015 Metabolomics Publication Awards
Report by Royston Goodacre, School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, UK
In 2013, the Board of the Directors of the Metabolomics Society commissioned a new award scheme to recognise the excellent research published in the journal Metabolomics. Each year, the Society will recognise the top papers within the following categories:
 Only primary research papers and “best practice” papers are eligible for these publication awards, which will be announced annually at the international Metabolomics Society conference, typically held in June. Congratulations to the following 2015 winners!

2015 Best Paper Award
 2015 Highest Download Award
 
 Software Spotlight

Metabolomics Spotlight

 London Metabolomics Network

The London Metabolomics Network – Promoting a flux of ideas, discussion, and progress

James MacRae1, Volker Behrends2, Olivia Corcoran3, Timothy Ebbels4, Hector Keun4, Cristina Legido-Quigley5, Florence Raynaud6, Andrew Thompson6

What does metabolomics mean to you? How is metabolomics used in your research? How do you do it? And how can we do it better? These are the questions that we, eight London-based ‘metabophiles’, asked ourselves and, not surprisingly, we all came up with different answers. Whether your primary interests lie in analytical chemistry, biochemistry, or computational sciences, metabolomics means different things to different people and, importantly, these differences are not always clear to us as individuals.

Metabolomics touches almost all aspects of natural sciences, with a simple literature search showing the incredible interest in fields as disparate as cancer, immunology, tropical medicine, environmental science, pharmaceuticals, fuel and biofuels, sports science, and even space exploration, so the time is ripe for development and implementation of metabolomics research.
We all know the metabolomics concerns the detection, quantification, and identification of small molecules in cellular systems, but the term has come to encompass very different aims, methodologies and maybe even scientific philosophies.

From discovery of biomarkers by ‘untargeted’ metabolomics to ‘targeted’ quantification of a certain metabolites in metabolic engineering, different applications require their own skill sets and analytical techniques and data analysis approaches. And of course the same applies for lipidomics, flux-kinetics or flux-balance analysis, pathway discovery, structural chemistry, and many others.

With the high-skill techniques that are required for such analyses—including LC-MS, GC-MS, CE-MS, NMR and the down-stream analysis of data, data fusion, statistics, programming, and software development—it is easy to see how we can get overwhelmed with the sheer volume of nuances to our research.

How can I measure flux down a pathway if I don’t know the principles of labeling or the biology of my system? How can I identify that biomarker if I don’t understand the chemistry behind my LC-MS set up? How can I reconstruct a metabolome without knowledge of the virtual constraints that go into building computational models? How can I detect my volatile of interest if I don’t have a protocol? Are my results statistically relevant? The answer usually lies in discussion. If you do not know the answer, then the chances are there is someone down the road that does. Science as a whole can only advance through discussion, collaboration, and collective thought. With that in mind, we have set up a London-based forum for the advancement of knowledge in metabolomics—the London Metabolomics Network (LMN).

The LMN has been set up by volunteers with no commercial interests and an aim to promote interaction between research groups in the London area with an interest in metabolomics, helping us to share knowledge, ideas, and resources. As well as providing a forum for discussion on all metabolomics-related matters, the LMN will hold regular networking events. Our inaugural event—kindly sponsored by Thermo Scientific—was held in July at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science at King’s College London (see pictures of the LMN founders in Figures 1 and 2 below). We are delighted to report that the event was a great success, with a capacity audience present for a series of talks from some of the leading proponents of metabolomics in the UK, followed by a lively social event. Plans to hold our next meeting, in early 2016, are currently underway and an announcement of details for this will be made (via our LinkedIn page) in the near future, so there is plenty of opportunity for all to be involved in the future.

The London Metabolomics Network founders

Figure 1. The London Metabolomics Network founders. From left to right: Hector Keun, Olivia Corcoran, Timothy Ebbels, Cristina Legido-Quigley, James MacRae, Volker Behrends, Florence Reynaud, and Andrew Thompson.

The London Metabolomics Network committee and Mark Sorensen of Thermo Scientific

Figure 2. The London Metabolomics Network committee and Mark Sorensen of Thermo Scientific, the sponsor of the inaugural LMN meeting. From left to right: Andrew Thompson, James MacRae, Mark Sorensen, Olivia Corcoran, Hector Keun, Timothy Ebbels, Cristina Legido-Quigley, Volker Behrends, and Florence Reynaud.

 The LMN is open to anyone with an interest in metabolomics, so if you are interested in finding out more about the LMN and how you can be involved in these discussions and in future events, please visit our LinkedIn page (linkd.in/1Gar3KD) or contact us by email (details below).

1The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK (james.macrae[at]crick.ac.uk)
2The University of Roehampton, London, UK (Volker.Behrends[at]roehampton.ac.uk)
3The University of East London, London, UK (o.corcoran[at]uel.ac.uk)
4Imperial College London, UK (h.keun[at]imperial.ac.uk; t.ebbels[at]imperial.ac.uk)
5King’s College London, UK (cristina.legido_quigley[at]kcl.ac.uk)
6Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK (Florence.Raynaud[at]icr.ac.uk; Andrew.Thompson[at]icr.ac.uk)

Please note: If you know of any metabolomics research programs, software, databases, statistical methods, meetings, workshops, or training sessions that we should feature in future issues of this newsletter, please email Ian Forsythe at metabolomics.innovation@gmail.com.
 MetaboInterview Icon

MetaboInterview
This section features interviews with prominent researchers in the field of metabolomics. The aim of these interviews is to shed light on metabolomics researchers around the world and give them an opportunity to share their metabolomics story. In this issue, we feature an interview with Philipp Schatz.
Philipp Schatz

 Head of the Biomarker Program, Metanomics Health GmbH, Berlin, Germany
Philipp Schatz
Biography

Philipp Schatz, Ph.D., is Head of the Biomarker Program at Metanomics Health GmbH, a BASF Group Company, since 2012. Dr. Schatz has an in-depth understanding of biomarker discovery and validation, assay development, and commercialization. He oversees the Biomarker Program which provides metabolic biomarkers to support pharma-enabling and diagnostic applications in various indications such as, congestive heart failure, type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and multiple oncological applications. Prior to Metanomics Health, Dr. Schatz worked for twelve years in the diagnostic industry. Dr. Schatz holds a M. Sc. in Biotechnology Engineering from the Technical University Berlin and a Ph.D. in epigenetics from the University of Saarland.

Metabolomics Interview (MN, MetaboNews; PS, Philipp Schatz)

 MN: How did you get involved in metabolomics?

PS: I initially became involved in metabolomics three years ago, when I took over the responsibility of the biomarker program at Metanomics Health GmbH, a BASF Group Company. The proprietary clinical biomarker program is focused on key indication areas with high unmet medical need, such as early detection of asymptomatic heart failure and aid in diagnosis for patients at risk for pancreatic cancer. In addition we are conducting research within several oncologic indications (e.g., prostate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer). Previously, I worked for more than ten years in the diagnostic biomarker industry and developed and commercialized epigenetic tests for cancer detection and monitoring (e.g., Septin9).

MN: What are some of the most exciting aspects of your work in metabolomics?

PS: Metabolomics is a unique biochemical fingerprint of all cellular processes. This deep insight into the actual phenotype of any biological system is metabolomics’ advantage over other -omics technologies making it a useful tool for the development of new clinical diagnostic and companion diagnostic applications.

The technology is ideal for performing early diagnosis or assessing the risk for the development of a disease. Not only the genetic predisposition but additional confounding factors such as exercise, nutrition, smoking, and others are evaluated as part of the profiling. Consequently, the technology is highly sensitive to pathological changes; however, it can also be misleading if not performed accurately. Special attention must be given to the selection of metabolites in order to make a metabolic test fit for routine clinical use. Metabolites prone to alterations by sampling and storage should be filtered out.

MN: What key metabolomics initiatives are you pursuing at your research centre or institute?

 PS:  At Metanomics Health, our commitment to a holistic management of quality is more than just words. It is represented in our technological leadership and our successful metabolomics-based biomarker development. We are a founding member of the Expert Center for Metabolomics and are actively supporting the Ring Trial Initiative from Dr. O. Fiehn from UC Davis and other NIH metabolomics centers.

In 2014, Metanomics Health launched MxP® Quality Control Plasma, a novel metabolomics-based assay that provides holistic control of EDTA human plasma sample quality. Based on the results it is now possible to identify errors or deviations in sample preparation and analysis. This allows you to upgrade your quality management system from quality assurance to quality control and safeguards your investment in the right human plasma samples.

MN: What is happening in your country in terms of metabolomics?

PS: We are located in Germany. Metabolic research has a long history in our country with Otto Warburg and Emil Fischer setting the scientific bases in the early 20th century. Prof. Lothar Willmitzer from Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam, Germany pioneered metabolomics in plants, co-founded Metanomics—our BASF sister company focusing on plant science—and helped perform one of the largest metabolite profiling projects in the world, the phenotypic and metabolomics screening of a gigantic collection of Arabidopsis knockout and overexpression lines. In one project, more than 50,000 genes were analyzed. Today several small start-up companies co-exist in Berlin and the surrounding area. Academic metabolomics research centers are located all over the country with hot spots in Munich and Berlin/Potsdam.

 MN: How do you see your work in metabolomics being applied today or in the future?

 PS: Aside from neonatal screening, metabolomics has not yet arrived in the clinic. My vision is to change this situation and to overcome existing limitations. The key for success is the accurate validation of metabolic signatures in order to provide reliable readouts, which allows for clear actionable results.

We have seen great progress in the field of congestive heart failure and the differential diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. I envision metabolic tests for such widespread or fatal diseases, which can be performed in primary care and allow for improved prevention of these devastating burdens.
MN: As you see it, what are metabolomics' greatest strengths?

PS: Metabolomics is the most direct representation of the human molecular phenotype. Thus, early pathological changes and treatment effects can be monitored most successfully using this profiling method. We have seen significant differences in profiles of responders to chemotherapy in comparison to non-responders, one week after the treatment has started. I believe that future personalized medicine approaches will not only rely on therapy prediction but will use treatment response biomarkers much more often. Thus, fewer biopsy-based clinical drug trials are required for the validation of personalized biomarkers. This will accelerate the required changes in the standard of care.

 MN: What do you see as the greatest barriers for metabolomics?

 PS: Most often metabolomics-derived biomarkers require high-end MS or NMR devices which are rarely available in clinical practice. Therefore, the translation of newly identified signatures on platforms with a higher installed base is key for a broad application in clinical routine use. This typically requires a different detection technology such as colorimetric/enzymatic, enzyme-linked immunosorbent, or established LC technologies. Targeted assay development enables early market entry of diagnostic biomarkers as laboratory developed tests (LDT) for research use only or in a CLIA (clinical laboratory improvement amendments) setting as well as in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests. Metabolic signatures can leverage the diagnostic performance of established clinical chemistry markers such as NT proBNP, CA19-9 and glucose in several indications (e.g., heart failure, pancreatic cancer, and diabetes).

Future development of clinical metabolomics depends on the acceptance of MS technology or alternative platforms in the clinic and the facilitated access to these technologies.

MN: What improvements, technological or otherwise, need to take place for metabolomics to really take off?

PS: Existing technological hurdles for the use of modern metabolomics profiling techniques remain significant and still prevent broad, cost-effective use in the clinical routine. Stand-alone devices with integrated pre-analytical, analytical, and data interpretation capabilities equivalent to modern clinical chemistry devices will help overcome these limitations. Most recently, we have seen MALDI-TOF become a standard technology for microbiology diagnosis. Several manufacturers have adapted their devices in a way that they can be handled by minimally trained laboratory staff. This is only possible if a clear medical need justifies this investment and accurately validated metabolic signatures are available.

MN: How does the future look in terms of funding for metabolomics?

PS: The moment metabolomics-based products are successfully commercialized is when funding will become much easier. Currently, metabolomics is perceived as a research tool only.

 MN: What role can metabolomics standards play?

 PS: Both methodological and chemical standards are key for a wider acceptance of this existing technology. The ring trial initiative from Dr. O. Fiehn is a step in the right direction. In addition several SOPs and standard materials are available to improve the quality of metabolomics (e.g., http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25407005). The use of the NIST standard for metabolomics was published by Phinney et al. (see Development of a Standard Reference Material for Metabolomics Research, Anal. Chem. 2013, 85, 11732-8).

MN: Do you have any other comments that you wish to share about metabolomics?
PS: If one looks at competing omics technologies, it took several years from first experiments until breakthrough. Metabolomics has already come a long way. It will soon be ready for the next step.

 
Please note: We are open to suggestions for our MetaboInterviews section. Please send suggestions for future interview candidates to Ian Forsythe at metabolomics.innovation@gmail.com.
Metabolomics Current Contents

Metabolomics Current Contents

 This section of MetaboNews is supported by:
LECO Corporation

Recently published papers in metabolomics:
Metabolomics Events

Metabolomics Events
26-28 Aug 2015

Mountain Village Science Series Bio & Data 2015
Venue: Karlova Studánka, Czech Republic

Aimed at bioinformaticians and chemometricians, this event is designed around problem-driven discussions which aim to identify and address the leading challenges currently facing the field of omics-centred chemometrics.

The opening lecture will be delivered by Miloš V. Novotný, Director of the Institute for Pheromone Research, Indiana University. Other speakers include Tim Stratton, Reza Salek, Ron Wevers, David Broadhurst and Lennart Eriksson.

Abstract submission for both oral and poster presentation is now open, full details of which can be seen here. Please note the closing date for submitting abstracts is Monday 1st June 2015 for oral presentations and Wednesday 1st July 2015 for posters.

To register, visit the website at http://www.moviss.org/
14-17 Sep 2015

36th BMSS Annual Meeting 15th-17th September 2015
BMSS Introduction to Mass Spectrometry Course 14th & 15th September 2015
Venue: University of Birmingham – Edgbaston

The 2015 BMSS Annual Meeting will take place at the vibrant city centre campus of the University of Birmingham, from Tuesday September 15th to Thursday September 17th. This year's meeting will have a strong emphasis on connections, featuring sessions from the individual Special Interest Groups (SIG's), joint sessions with BSPR and the Metabolomics Society in addition to more general main sessions, designed to attract a wide audience and range of submitted abstracts. The Maccoll Lecture (at the conference start, on the evening of the 15th) will be delivered by Professor Ron Heeren, the Wednesday plenary Professor Brian Chait, closing with the Professor Ian Wright, principal investigator in the Rosetta space mission. Dr Zoltan Takats will speak in the joint session with the Metabolomics Society. There will be a full poster session, featuring the Barber/Bordoli prize awards. The meeting will also feature a full exhibition with involvement of over 30 industry partners

Online abstract submission for both oral and poster presentation is now available. Please note the closing date for submitting abstracts is Friday 22nd May 2015.

For more information, visit http://www.bmss.org.uk/bmss2015/bmss2015.shtml
21-25 Sep 2015

W4M Course 2015: Computational Metabolomics within the Galaxy Environment on the Online Workflow4Metabolomics.org (W4M) Resource
Venue: ABiMS Bioinformatics Institute, Roscoff, France

The Worflow4Metabolomics Course 2015 (W4M 2015) will take place at the ABiMS bioinformatics Institute (Roscoff, France) on September 21-25, 2015. This one-week training session is intended for MS and NMR researchers wishing to learn the functionalities from the W4M resource. It will include an initiation to the Galaxy environment, followed by dedicated practical sessions covering the available modules for data preprocessing, statistical analysis, and annotation. Finally, a tutoring part will enable each participant to analyse his or her own dataset. Presentations will be given in French but course materials will be in English.

Program Schedule: http://workflow4metabolomics.org/training/W4Mcourse2015/program
Practical Information: http://workflow4metabolomics.org/training/W4Mcourse2015/practical-info

Organizing Committee
Cécile Canlet, Christophe Caron, Franck Giacomoni, Yann Guitton, Gildas Le Corguillé, and Étienne Thévenot.

For further details, visit http://workflow4metabolomics.org/training/W4Mcourse2015.
25-27 Oct 2015

Mayo Clinic Metabolomics Symposium
Venue: Marriott Hotel in Rochester, MN, USA

Mayo Clinic will host a Metabolomics Symposium from October 25 to October 27, 2015, at the Marriott Hotel in Rochester, MN. The event will feature presentations on the practice and theory of metabolomics applications, latest research in metabolomics, tours and networking opportunities. The workshop is open to beginner and established researchers, students, and postdoctoral fellows.

Program: Download PDF
For further details, visit https://matrix.secureserverdot.com/metabolomics_2015/home.htm.
7-9 Dec 2015

MetaboMeeting 2015
Venue: Robinson College, Cambridge, UK

SELECTBIO are delighted to announce that we are once again partnering with the Metabolic Profiling Forum (MPF) to host the Metabomeeting 2015. 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 270 attendees offering a unique opportunity to network with key researchers who are making innovative discoveries within this field.   We are also delighted to announce that this year the registration price includes a wonderful dinner reception which will be held on Tuesday 8th December in the Magnificent Kings College Dining Hall.

Agenda Topics
  • Advancing Biological Knowledge from Single Cells to Whole Organisms
  • Applying Metabolomics to Nutritional Support and Food Analysis
  • Clinical Development in Metabolomics
  • Enhancing Analytical Approaches in Metabolomics
  • Modelling and Data Analysis
  • New Developments in Plant Metabolomics
  • Next Generation Metabolomics - Where will the Revolution will Happen Next
  • Structure and Reporting of Metabolomics: Data to Knowledge
For further details, visit http://thempf.org/mpf_cms3/conferences/forthcoming-meetings/metabomeeting-2015.

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

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 four issues (eight weeks) unless the position is filled prior to that date.

Jobs Offered

Job Title Employer Location Posted Closes Source
Assistant/Associate Professor in Nutritional and Exercise Metabolomics for Health, Ohio State University, Ohio. *two positions available*
 Ohio State University
 Columbus, Ohio, USA
 13-Aug-2015
 Until filled
 Metabolomics Society Jobs
Assistant/Associate Professor in Food Chemistry/Biochemistry
 Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio, USA 13-Aug-2015 Until filled Metabolomics Society Jobs
Assistant Professor in Metabolomics Gunma University
 Maebashi-shi, Gunma, Japan 10-Aug-2015
 15-Oct-2015
 Karolinska Institutet
Postdoctoral Researcher Fellowship in Metabolomics Gunma University
 Maebashi-shi, Gunma, Japan 10-Aug-2015
 15-Oct-2015 Karolinska Institutet
Industrial PhD student in analytical metabolomics Steno Diabetes Center
 Gentofte, Denmark 12-Aug-2015
 31-Aug-2015
 Steno Diabetes Center
Biochemist / Physiologist for Interpretation of Metabolomic data sets,
UC Davis Davis, California 7-Aug-2015
 31-Aug-2015 Metabolomics Society Jobs
Scientific HPC Programmer
Work remotely anywhere in the USA 4-Aug-2015
 Until filled Metabolomics Society Jobs
Postdoctoral Fellow, Analytical Sciences
 Janssen Research & Development San Diego, CA, USA 21-Jul-2015
 Until filled Metabolomics Society Jobs
Faculty Position
 Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Ithaca, NY, USA
 17-Jul-2015 30-Sep-2015
 Metabolomics Society Jobs
Postdoc
 Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Ithaca, NY, USA 17-Jul-2015 Until filled Metabolomics Society Jobs
Postdoc
 Max Planck Institute
 Munich, Germany 22-Jun-2015
Metabolomics Society Jobs
Director, Marketing Metabolomics
 Thermo Fisher Scientific San Jose, California, USA 18-Jun-2015
 Until filled
 Metabolomics Society Jobs


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.
  • There are currently no positions being advertised.

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