MetaboNews Masthead
Published in partnership between
TMIC and the Metabolomics Society
Issue 53 - January 2016

CONTENTS:


Online version of this newsletter:
 http://www.metabonews.ca/Jan2016/MetaboNews_Jan2016.htm
TMIC Services
TMIC Services

Welcome to the fifty-third 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 PhenoMeNal, an e-infrastructure for analysis of metabolic phenotype data, and a metabolomics interview with Steffen Neumann of the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry.
This issue of MetaboNews is supported by:

Metanomics Health
    
Chenomx -- Metabolite Discovery & Measurement    
mzCloud
Metanomics Health GmbH
Chenomx Inc.
mzCloud

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Metabolomics Society Logo

Metabolomics Society News

CONFERENCE CORNER

2016 Metabolomics Society Conference, Dublin
Location: Dublin, Ireland
June 27 – June 30, 2016
We are delighted to announce that Early bird registration is now open for the Metabolomics Society’s Annual Meeting in 2016 in Dublin. Please check out the new website for detailed information about the venue, program and plenary speakers at www.metabolomics2016.org!
Stay tuned for the call for abstracts coming soon.

Conference Confusion
Dear Metabolomics Society Members,
Metabolomics Society Logo     There are several metabolomics-themed meetings being planned for 2016, so we hope that you will be able to identify the Official Metabolomics Society annual meeting which is in Dublin (June 27 – June 30, 2016).
     In case there is any confusion about the origin of a conference or meeting, official Metabolomics Society meetings ALWAYS will have links to the Metabolomics Society web page, display the Society logo and be clearly branded from the Society and A-S-K Associates; no other companies promote our meetings. We are concerned because some of the companies that are putting on these meetings seem to be deliberately causing branding confusion, and we have heard from members who have been extremely dissatisfied with these other meetings. If you have questions or concerns about any meeting, please contact us.


 MEMBERS CORNER

 2016 Honorary Fellows of the Metabolomics Society - Nominations
An Honorary Fellowship is a significant lifetime award granted by the Society to exceptional members of our community. Commissioned in 2012, and with up to two awards each year, the Board of Directors welcomes nominations from Members for these Fellowships, with a closing date of February 1st, 2016. See http://metabolomicssociety.org/index.php/awards/honorary-fellowships for further details about the two categories of awards. Each nominee can be nominated for only one of the categories. The Board will consider only complete nomination packages, and these consist of the five items mentioned on the web page.

Exclusive Members Only Content
Members-only content is now available on the Metabolomics Society website. Sign in to view exclusive videos and more content coming soon -
http://metabolomicssociety.org/resources/videos!

Membership renewal for 2016 now available!
Membership of the Society is based on the calendar year and this year’s membership will end December 31st 2015. All current members will need to renew their membership to stay in good standing. You can renew your membership now for 2016 here. Remember to renew early to take advantage of our early bird discounted registration fees. Join now and save some money!

We hope that you have enjoyed being part of and benefitted from the considerable expansion of the Metabolomics Society during the past few years, and will remain a loyal member of our growing community. As the society continues to expand, we expect to be able to offer further membership benefits including discounted member registration at the 12th Annual Metabolomics Society Conference in Dublin. Student members and Early Career members with over 3 months standing are also able to apply for our Student Prize and Travel Awards. These provide considerable financial support to allow students and early career researchers to attend several conferences events and workshops including:
 Member benefits (for all Members)
  1. No membership fee increases for 2016.
  2. Networking and information exchange with an international membership of professionals devoted to furthering metabolomics related science: via conferences and workshops, the Society’s many Interest Groups, and social media including the Society’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.
  3. Discounted registration fees for Metabolomics Society conferences.
  4. Receive information and electronic notices of metabolomics conferences, workshops and seminars.
  5. Posting of job advertisements on the Society's website and via Twitter.
  6. Automatic delivery of the joint Metabolomics Society/The Metabolomics Innovation Center (TMIC) MetaboNews newsletter with the latest news from the metabolomics world.
  7. Eligibility to nominate individuals for an Honorary Fellowship of the Society* and to vote in Society elections.
  8. Eligibility to stand for Office within the Society*.
 * Not applicable for Student Members.
TASK GROUPS CORNER

Industry Engagement Task Group
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, especially for Metabolomics2016 in Dublin, Ireland, please visit our information portal.

Data Standards Task Group
Questionnaire: What are your preferred workflows for metabolomics data processing and analysis?
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/metabolomics-galaxy
 
For metabolomics to achieve its full potential the accessibility, reporting, reproducibility and overall harmonisation of computational metabolomics tools must be improved significantly. A consortium of UK universities, including the University of Birmingham, University of Cambridge, the Francis Crick Institute, Imperial College London, University of Manchester and the European Bioinformatics Institute, in partnership with ELIXIR-UK (http://elixir-uk.org/), are seeking your input to identify which metabolomics data processing and analysis tools are most widely used by you, and which therefore should be prioritised for incorporation into accessible Galaxy workflows.

We seek input from individuals who consider themselves to be actively engaged in metabolomics science, from any scientific background, any career stage, and importantly from any country or type of employment.

We estimate the survey will take 15 minutes to complete. On behalf of all those involved we thank you for your time. Those completing the survey will be entered into a prize draw for two $100 Amazon gift vouchers. The questionnaire will close at midnight on the 17th January 2016.
INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATES CORNER

Australian & New Zealand Metabolomics Network (ANZMN)
Visit http://www.anzmn.org
The ANZMN are pleased to announce that the early bird deadline for the Australian & New Zealand Metabolomics  (ANZMET) conference has been extended to the 31st January 2016. Please see http://www.anzmet.org to register and for more information. As you will see from the website it is going to be a great conference and we look forward to seeing many of you there, so please register soon. The ANZMN would also like to congratulate our president, Dr Oliver Jones, who was awarded the Sir Paul Callaghan Medal for outstanding research by a young investigator by the Australian and New Zealand society for Magnetic Resonance (ANZMAG, http://anzmag.com.au) for his work in NMR based metabolomics last December. Finally this month, we wish our members all the best for a happy and successful 2016.

 
 Software Spotlight

Metabolomics Spotlight

PhenoMeNal—An e-infrastructure for analysis of metabolic phenotype data

Namrata Kale1, Christoph Steinbeck1, and the PhenoMeNal consortium

1Cheminformatics and Metabolism Group, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK

Metabolomic phenotyping is the analysis of metabolomes of the biofluids showing a physiological or a pathological state in an individual that will provide insights into disease risk factors and aetiology, information that can be used for personalised medicine [1]. Given the complexity and high volumes of the data generated, collection and analysis of such information will pose demands on biomedical data management and compute capabilities. It is estimated that a single typical National Phenome Centre, managing only around 100,000 human samples per year, can generate more than two petabytes of data. A scale-up to sizable portions of the European population over time will require data analysis services capable of managing exabyte-scale amounts of biomedical phenotyping data, for which no feasible solution exists at the moment.

The PhenoMeNal project (http://phenomenal-h2020.eu/) aims to develop and deploy an integrated, secure, permanent, on-demand, service-driven, privacy-compliant, and sustainable e-infrastructure for the processing, analysis, and information-mining of the massive amount of medical molecular phenotyping and genotyping data that will be generated by metabolomics applications now entering research and the clinic. This e-infrastructure will support the data processing and analysis pipeline for molecular phenotype data right from the moment of its acquisition in the laboratory, up to the high-level medical and biological conclusions and interpretations. PhenoMeNal is therefore a key enabling e-infrastructure, addressing the H2020 Societal Challenges in Health, demographic change, and well-being. This infrastructure will provide computational and data analysis services to the European Biomedical community to improve understanding of aetiology, pathogenesis, pathways, and mechanisms of common human diseases (Figure 1).

Strategy for knowledge generation enabled by PhenoMeNal e-infrastructure

Figure 1. Strategy for knowledge generation enabled by PhenoMeNal e-infrastructure.

PhenoMeNal will address challenges arising from the large data volumes in molecular phenotyping by creating a federated, secure, and high performance e-infrastructure to handle and analyse large research datasets alongside with developing solutions that bring the compute to the data by providing virtualized compute engines. Wherever possible and advisable, PhenoMeNal will make their application available on national and European Grid and Cloud Infrastructures.

PhenoMeNal is led by a consortium of 13 partners at European Molecular Biology Laboratory—European Bioinformatics Institute (UK), Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (UK), Leibniz-Institute of Plant Biochemistry (Germany), Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), The University of Birmingham (UK), Consorzio Interuniversitario Risonanze Magnetiche di Metallo Proteine (Italy), Universiteit Leiden (Netherlands), The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford (UK), Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (Switzerland), Uppsala Universitet (Sweden), Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure-ERIC (Austria), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (France), and Institut national de la recherche agronomique (France). These partners have extensive experience in the development of tools and methods for acquiring, integrating, and analysing huge datasets on metabolic phenotypes, genome, and cross-omics data. The consortium has also successfully paved the way for this e-infrastructure through their previous extensive standardisation efforts in COSMOS project (Coordination of Standards in MetabOlomicS, http://www.cosmos-fp7.eu) and metabolomeXchange (http://metabolomexchange.org/site/)—an international data aggregation and notification service for metabolomics. The PhenoMeNal project is gaining momentum with a press release and kick-off meeting in September 2015 at EMBL-EBI (see the photograph below of the consortium members at the meeting, Figure 2).

Photograph of the consortium members at the kick-off meeting

Figure 2. Photograph of the consortium members at the kick-off meeting.

References
  1. Holmes E, Wilson ID, Nicholson JK. (2008) Metabolic phenotyping in health and disease. Cell 134(5):714-7. [doi:10.1016/j.cell.2008.08.026] [PubMed]


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 Steffen Neumann.
Steffen Neumann

 Group leader Bioinformatics and Mass Spectrometry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB Halle), Halle, Germany
Steffen Neumann
Biography

Steffen Neumann studied computer science and bioinformatics at Bielefeld University, and now his group focuses on the development of tools and databases for metabolomics and computational mass spectrometry. The group develops algorithms for data processing of metabolite profiling experiments, which are available in several Open Source Bioconductor packages, and addresses the identification of unknowns in mass spectrometry data. The IPB is member of the MassBank consortium and operated the first MassBank server in Europe. The MetFrag and MetFusion tools allow the identification of compounds where no reference spectra are available.

Metabolomics Interview (MN, MetaboNews; SN, Steffen Neumann)

 MN: How did you get involved in metabolomics?

SN: My group was founded and funded in 2005 at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB Halle) with the aim to develop tools and databases for all parts of the metabolomics workflow. The IPB had started its Metabolomics activities almost 15 years ago with an Applied Biosystems QStar. Very soon, we saw the need for a QTOF optimised peak picker, and Ralf Tautenhahn developed the centWave feature detection for xcms that had just been published by the Scripps. But this only started the flood of data and metabolite identification became the pressing issue. As a result, we joined the MassBank consortium and started to develop tools like http://msbi.ipb-halle.de/MetFrag/ for metabolite identification.

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

SN: I always find it exciting to do things with a bioinformatics perspective in mind, and to stretch the limits of what’s possible. Like the initial work on xcms done at the Scripps that made it possible to do untargeted metabolomics—and especially biostatistics—on hundreds of samples, or the current trend to do metabolite annotation on dozens or hundreds of query spectra.
MN: What key metabolomics initiatives are you pursuing at your research centre or institute?

 SN: At the IPB, we use metabolomics in many different plant research questions, ranging from gene function and biochemical pathway elucidation, plant responses under biotic and abiotic stresses, to communication between plants and other organisms in the rhizosphere below ground. The institute is quite well equipped with instruments; both mass spectrometry and NMR are available. But the IPB also realised early that bioinformatics plays a vital role and my group is part of the interdisciplinary metabolomics interest group at the institute.

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

SN: A lot! Here in Germany we find metabolomics in many different research areas, for example most of the plant research institutes I know apply metabolomics routinely. Metabolomics has also become a part of bigger life-sciences efforts, such as the Cluster of Excellence in PLant Science (CEPLAS) in the area of Bonn/Cologne/Düsseldorf and many more. We also regularly have events like the “Trends in Metabolomics - Analytics and Applications” organised by the German society for chemistry and biotechnology (DECHEMA). Despite these, I am currently not aware of any organised structures dedicated to metabolomics in Germany, but maybe that will change in the future.

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

 SN: I am really impressed how often xcms is being mentioned in the community, and that we were able to contribute to it. We don’t see MetFrag being mentioned that often, but that’s probably because it helps people to get an idea about a metabolite identity, while the subsequent ‘proper’ identification mentioned in papers requires authentic standards if available. I would be really happy if some of our current and future developments enable others to perform next generation metabolomics and then answer novel questions.

 MN: As you see it, what are metabolomics' greatest strengths?

SN: Metabolites are really close to the phenotype people are interested in, or to a mode-of-action of some treatment or stress. If we count fluxomics as part of metabolomics, then we also have the tools to “watch” metabolism and life happening, and not just taking a snapshot of it.

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

 SN: It is not cheap. The method still needs a lot of in-house expertise, especially for discovery-type studies common in research. It’s not like just simply extracting some DNA and sending it off for sequencing. If you decide to run your own mass spec facility, you’ll not only have the investment into the instrumentation, but also personnel costs and finally maintenance and repairs. Metabolomics-as-a-service might work for very targeted analyses, and where the influence of sample collection and possibly transport can be tightly controlled.

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

SN: Do you say it hasn’t taken off yet?! Well, the usual answers apply: drop in prices, increases in scan speed, dynamic range and coverage of compound classes. But even if mass spectrometry was as simple as it seems in the TV series, there is still a lot of biology to solve. Sometimes I think we also need to re-think how to capture the metabolomics knowledge. The textbook pictures are great for educational purposes, but do metabolic pathways and their dynamics really fit into a two-dimensional schema? What if biologists were able to navigate organisms and maybe even cells, observe differences in metabolism under stress or between disease states? And maybe even modify the biochemical reactions, like with a magical wand, and see the (simulated) response? Sorry if I got carried away here ...

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

SN: I can see opportunities for funding in many areas related to (and required for) metabolomics. This ranges from calls and proposals in biology and biomedical research, but there is also still a lot of work to do starting with instrumentation via the algorithms and software, catching up with new instrumental developments, up to the analysis and visualisation of large biological networks. Last but not least we will hopefully see more calls for the bioinformatics infrastructure that is needed to hold and process the data of tomorrow’s metabolomics experiments. The early support of MassBank in Japan, the NIH workbench now in the US and MetaboLights and PhenoMeNal in Europe (featured in the above Spotlight article) are examples for this type of infrastructures.

 MN: What role can metabolomics standards play?

 SN: There are several aspects to standards that are important. It starts with established protocols in the lab, which allow one to compare the context in which metabolomics data has been created. While it is good to have standard procedures in the experimental work, there needs to be room for innovation, and trying new approaches as well. When it comes to software and workflows, we as developers should aim to avoid reinventing the wheel, and create formats that allow to mix and match different software, without wasting time on format conversion, and software libraries to support simple access to this data. I hope to see more developments to capture the downstream results in machine readable formats to facilitate an ecosystem for metabolomics data analysis. Last but not least the standards free the data from vendor lock-in and foster reproducible research.

MN: Do you have any other comments that you wish to share about metabolomics?

SN: For quite a while I have been looking for the “Next generation metabolomics”. This can be really anything we don’t think about today. What about Meta-Metabolomics, or interaction and communication of different organisms, be it in the human gut flora or the plant rhizosphere (and knowing where the metabolites come and where they go), or the tree of metabolic life? We need a vivid community and dedicated individuals to come up with the next big idea, and how to get there.
 
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

Recently published papers in metabolomics:
Metabolomics Events

Metabolomics Events
11-12 Feb 2016

Metabolite identification with the Q Exactive and LTQ Orbitrap
Venue: Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

This two-day course will provide a comprehensive theoretical and hands-on approach to teach the latest techniques and tools available to perform metabolite identification applying mass spectrometry in non-targeted metabolomics studies. The course is targeted towards students and researchers who are actively applying metabolomics and want to fully understand the mass spectrometry tools and software applied for metabolite identification.

The course will be taught by experts in the fields of metabolomics and chemical analysis and will include significant hands-on experience using both the Q Exactive and LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometers and related software/databases/libraries. The course will focus on:
  • Conversion of raw data to molecular formula and associated difficulties
  • Data Dependent Acquisition (DDA) and Data Independent Acquisition (DIA)
  • MS/MS and MSn data acquisition to construct spectral trees
  • Current software, databases, and libraries applied in metabolite identification
The course will finish with a session on the tips and tricks from the experts and an opportunity to ask questions.

For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/metabolite-identification.aspx or contact Dr Cate Winder (C.L.Winder@bham.ac.uk).
14-19 Feb 2016

EMBO Practical Course on Metabolomics Bioinformatics for Life Scientists
Venue: European Bioinformatics Institute, CB10 1SD, United Kingdom (Google Maps)

This course will provide an overview of key issues that affect metabolomics studies, handling dataset and procedures for the analysis of metabolomics data using bioinformatics tools. 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, from study design to metabolite identification.

We will have lively and interactive discussion throughout the course in addition to the hands-on data analysis and processing. We encourage you to bring your data, problems you might have with a particular data set or study for group discussion.  You will be asked to present your work and participate in the discussions from day one.

Who is this course aimed at: This course is aimed at PhD students, post-docs and researchers with at least two or three year’s experience in the field of metabolomics who are seeking to improve their skills in metabolomics data analysis.

Topics covered:
  • Metabolomics study design, workflows and sources of experimental error, difference between target and un-target approaches.
  • Metabolomics data processing tools: hands on open source R based programs, XCMS, MetFrag, MetFusion, rNMR, BATMAN
  • Metabolomics data analysis: Using R Bioconductor, understanding usage of univariate and multivariate data analysis, data fusion concepts and data clustering
  • Metabolomics downstream analyses: KEGG, BioCyc, MetExplore and Cytoscape for metabolic pathway and network analysis with visualisation of differential expression, understanding metabolomics flux analysis.
  • Metabolomics standards and databases: data dissemination and deposition in EMBL-EBI MetaboLights repository, collection and ever growing metabolomics online resource, COSMOS data standards, MSI
For further details, visit http://www.ebi.ac.uk/training/course/embo-practical-course-metabolomics-bioinformatics-life-scientists-0.
23-24 Feb 2016

Quality Assurance and Quality Control in Metabolic Phenotyping
Venue: Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

This two-day course will provide a comprehensive theoretical overview of the application of quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) in metabolic phenotyping and hands-on training in the analytical laboratory and bioinformatics laboratory. The course is aimed at students and researchers who are actively working in the field and want to learn how to apply the important processes of quality assurance and quality control in their research. Experts who have developed the application of QA and QC procedures within the metabolomics field will lead the course. It will include both theoretical and practical components focused on:
  • Theoretical aspects of QA and QC in metabolic phenotyping
  • The application of QA and QC in untargeted and targeted studies
  • Preparation of QC samples and appropriate data acquisition
  • Data processing and QA/QC reporting
The course will finish with a question and answer session with a panel of experts.

For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/quality-phenotyping.aspx or contact Dr Cate Winder (C.L.Winder@bham.ac.uk).
21-23 Mar 2016

Clinical & Pharmaceutical Solutions through Analysis
Venue: The UF Clinical & Translational Science Institute, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Make plans to attend the 2nd Annual Metabolomics Symposium on Clinical & Pharmaceutical Solutions through Analysis (CPSA Metabolomics 2016). This unique event is highly interactive and dedicated to the needs of the clinic. The program features updated perspectives and experiences on clinical and pharmaceutical analysis. Imagination and stimulating discussion are central to each CPSA Metabolomics session and event.

Goal
The goal of CPSA Metabolomics is to provide in-depth review of innovative technology and industry practices through open discussion of industry-related issues and needs. This annual event is specifically geared to the needs of professionals attempting to keep pace with faster development times and technology marketing managers attempting to benchmark emerging trends.

Program
The CPSA Metabolomics symposia and roundtables are highly interactive events where scientists share their experiences and visions in a collegial setting. The program will highlight speakers and sessions that provide real-world experiences with new technologies and critical insights into current issues and future needs. Education and specialized training are the foundation of all CPSA events.

Each session at CPSA Metabolomics will address the current industrial landscape and the global need to bring products to market faster. The program chairs will promote discussion and exchange of experiences, ideas, and visions so that current processes that involve analytical measurement can be benchmarked and future strategies may be developed.

For more information, visit http://www.cpsa-metabolomics.com/2016/index.shtml
30 Mar to 1 Apr 2016

The Australian & New Zealand Metabolomics Conference (ANZMET 2016)
Venue: La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The inaugural ANZMET conference is an exciting, peer-driven event! It is designed to foster an all-inclusive, engaging and rich interpersonal process through a blend of traditional presentations, rapid-fire postgraduate presentations, poster sessions, a roundtable discussion, and topical peer sessions.

Its aim is to promote collaboration, innovation, and community-building in metabolomics across private and government sectors by open engagement of all researchers and institutions throughout Australia and New Zealand. The conference is actively supported by the Australia & New Zealand Metabolomics Network (ANZMN), in conjunction with the Metabolomics Society and Metabolomics Australia. Several keynote speakers will present at the conference, including Professor David Wishart amongst others.
For further details, visit http://www.anzmet.org/.
3-7 Apr 2016

Microscale Separations and Bioanalysis: MSB 2016
Venue: Queen’s Landing, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, Canada

We invite you to join us for the 32nd International Symposium on Microscale Separations and Bioanalysis (MSB 2016), which is the premier forum for the discussion of cutting-edge research on the frontiers of separation science relevant to human health and the environment. If you are currently incorporating microscale separations like capillary electrophoresis, nano-LC, multidimensional separations, ion mobility spectrometry, microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip devices into your research, then this is a meeting you will not want to miss!

To ensure a stimulating yet intimate environment for discussions, MSB 2016 will be limited to 275 delegates so we encourage you submit an abstract before the Jan. 15, 2016 deadline for late breaking submissions. We invite you to browse our conference website (www.msb2016.org) to learn more about our exciting scientific program.
4-6 Apr 2016

Metabolomics with the Q Exactive
Venue: Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

This three-day hands-on course will introduce you to using the Q Exactive mass spectrometer in your metabolomics investigations. The course is aimed at students and researchers with minimal previous experience of applying liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in metabolomics. The course will be led by experts in the field and include lectures, laboratory sessions and computer workshops to provide:
  • An introduction to metabolomics, LC-MS and using the Q Exactive mass spectrometer in your studies
  • Sample preparation for analysis of polar and lipid metabolites in metabolic profiling and targeted studies
  • Instrument methods and data acquisition for profiling and targeted studies
  • Data processing and data analysis
  • Introduction to metabolite identification
The course will finish with a question and answer session with a panel of experts.

For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/q-exactive.aspx or contact Dr Cate Winder (C.L.Winder@bham.ac.uk).
18 Apr to 26 May 2016

Copenhagen School of Chemometrics - 2016 (CSC-2016)
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark

  • CSC-2016 is FREE of charge for students at any level.
  • PhD students can obtain a maximum of 12 ECTS.
  • We will count with highly recognized chemometricians as lecturers/teachers: Frans van den Berg, Riccardo Leardi, Thomas Skov, Tormod Næs, Rasmus Bro, Age Smilde, Åsmund Rinnan, Evrim Acar, Federico Marini and Jose M. Amigo.
  • Bonus track: There is the possibility to attend the “Introduction to Matlab for Multivariate Data Analysis” PhD course (see flyer for more information).
The maximum number of participants will be 20 participants per seminar. Therefore, it's strongly recommend to contact Jose Amigo (jmar@food.ku.dk) as soon as possible for keeping your seat!

How to enroll in the CSC-2016? Please, send an e-mail to Jose Amigo (jmar@food.ku.dk) with the information requested in this flyer.
20-22 Apr 2016

Multiple biofluid and tissue types, from sample preparation to analysis strategies for metabolomics
Venue: Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

This three-day course will provide a comprehensive overview of dealing with complex biological samples for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. The course is targeted towards students and researchers who are actively applying metabolomics in their research and want to learn more about robust sample preparation and data acquisition. The course will be led by experts in the field and  will include:
  • An overview of sampling, quenching and extraction strategies for different biological samples
  • Hands-on sample preparation using different sample types
  • Hands-on HILIC and reversed phase LC-MS data acquisition
  • Solid phase extraction and liquid-liquid extraction
  • An overview of data analysis and metabolite identification
  • An opportunity to ask questions and seek advice to prepare samples in your own research.
For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/sample-analysis.aspx or contact Dr Cate Winder (C.L.Winder@bham.ac.uk).
27-30 Jun 2016

Metabolomics 2016
Venue: Convention Centre, Dublin, Ireland

The 12th Annual International Conference of the Metabolomics Society will be held in Dublin from June 27-30, 2016. The conference venue is the Convention Centre Dublin, located conveniently in the city centre with easy access to the airport. In the historic, compact city centre there is lots to do and see, and visitors will love the rich selection of galleries, museums, restaurants, pubs and shops, not to mention the traditionally warm welcome from Dubliners.

The conference programme will cover all aspects of metabolomics under five broad themes: Metabolomics in Nutrition and Food Research, Metabolomics in Health and Disease, Advancing the Field, Environmental, Plant and Model Organisms.

For further details, visit http://metabolomics2016.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

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
Senior Fellow (Postdoctoral) Position
 University of Washington Seattle, WA, USA
 11-Dec-2015
 Until filled Metabolomics Society Jobs
IEU Metabolomics Facility Manager
 University of Bristol Bristol, UK
 3-Dec-2015
 19-Jan-2016
 University of Bristol
Field Application Specialist Metabolomics/Mass spectrometry
 Biocrates Life Sciences
 East Coast, USA
 25-Nov-2015
Biocrates Life Sciences
Chemist for Public Health
 Silent Spring Institute
 Newton, MA, USA 23-Nov-2015
 Until filled
 Metabolomics Society Jobs
Molecular or Cellular Biologist for Public Health
 Silent Spring Institute Newton, MA, USA 23-Nov-2015
 Until filled Metabolomics Society Jobs
Data Scientist for Public Health
 Silent Spring Institute Newton, MA, USA 23-Nov-2015
 Until filled Metabolomics Society Jobs
Assistant Professor
 Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan, USA 23-Nov-2015
 Until filled Metabolomics Society Jobs
Postdoctoral Position in Metabolomics
 Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon 17-Nov-2015
 Until filled Metabolomics Society Jobs
Computational Biology Faculty in Food and Nutritional Metabolomics
 Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio, USA 10-Nov-2015
 Until filled Metabolomics Society Jobs
Bioinformatics Expert and Data Scientist: Metabolomics
 The University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland 5-Nov-2015
 15-Jan-2016 The University of Lausanne


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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