MetaboNews Masthead
Published in partnership between
TMIC and the Metabolomics Society
Issue 58 - June 2016

CONTENTS:


Online version of this newsletter:
 http://www.metabonews.ca/Jun2016/MetaboNews_Jun2016.htm
TMIC Services
TMIC Services

Welcome to the fifty-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 by Vidya Velagapudi of the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) titled "Mitochondrial DNA Replication Defects Cause dNTP Pool Imbalance and Disrupt One-Carbon Metabolism", and a metabolomics interview with Dan Bearden of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
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

***Please see the important information below for the Call for Nominations for Metabolomics Society directors.***

CONFERENCE CORNER
 Metabolomics 2016, the annual conference of the international Metabolomics Society, will be held in Dublin, Ireland, from 27-30 June 2016. It’s not too late to register for the premiere event of the metabolomics calendar! Based on current registration numbers, this meeting will be the LARGEST metabolomics meeting in Europe EVER!

See metabolomics2016.org for the full list of speakers, workshops and sponsor events. The conference will feature the latest advances in metabolomics science, in addition to dedicated early career events to provide scientific and career-based advice, and networking opportunities, for students and early-career researchers. The conference dinner will take place in the iconic Croke Park (Gaelic Games headquarters) and will include a tour of the museum.


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.

EMN webinar series
The EMN hosted the 7th session of the EMN webinar series on Friday, 29th April 2016 (3:00 PM – 4:00 PM UTC). Our expert speaker for this session of the EMN webinar series was Dr. Karl Burgess from the University of Glasgow, UK. In his presentation, Dr. Burgess gave a quick overview of the basics in chromatography and mass spectrometry, and discussed the use of analytical platforms in metabolomic research. Dr. Burgess outlined some of the technological advancements made in chromatography that have had improvement in carrying out (analytically) metabolomic experiments.
The 8th session of the EMN webinar series was held on the 27th May 2016 (15:00 – 16:00 UTC). The speaker, Dr. Jan Stanstrup (from Systems Medicine group at Steno Diabetes Center, Denmark) went through the basic concepts used in mass spectrometry-based compound identification, introducing a number of relevant tools and databases that may allow identification in a systematic way. The webinar was more dedicated to researchers who are new in the field of metabolomics and less familiar with the methods used for compound identification.
All the videos for the EMN webinar series for 2015 and 2016 can be found on the Metabolomics website. The next EMN webinar series session will be in July 2016. The details, date and link for registration for the July webinar session will be sent out in due course. Please stay tuned and look out for the July webinar session.

EMN Workshops and Events at the 12th Annual International Conference
The EMN will host two workshop sessions tailored for the needs of the early-career members. Both sessions are taking shape nicely and we aim to have a full program ready soon, so stay tuned for more information on both workshops. One workshop will be focused on the importance of experimental design for successful metabolomics experiments; whereas the other workshop discusses career options both in and outside academia. The EMN will host two free reception events and we encourage all early career members to attend and help build the community. We have organized an informal meet and greet which will take place on Sunday 26th June 6 – 8 PM at 4 Dame Lane. This will be a great opportunity for young researchers to meet fellow peers in a relaxed and social venue. Our second event will be held on Tuesday 28th June at the Convention Centre following the evening poster session. We are very excited to announce that Professor Mark Viant will be speaking at the event. Drinks and food will be provided. We hope to see you all there.

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, workshops, and events). If you think you have a great idea for a new activity we should organise then please do share with us; the EMN can only be a success with your support and ideas!!

Membership News for 2016
For those of you who have not yet renewed your membership of the Metabolomics Society for 2016, we really hope you are considering joining our vibrant community. Renewing your membership allows you to claim a special members' only price at Metabolomics 2016 in Dublin as well as a host of other membership benefits which are listed here. To join the society or to renew your membership, visit here. For any questions regarding membership, please contact us at membership@metabolomicssociety.org.

If you registered for Metabolomics2016 as a non-member, please make sure you follow the instructions for signing in to your Metabolomics Society Membership page and complete your membership registration process.
TASK GROUPS CORNER
Industry Engagement Task Group
If your company has not signed up to be a Sponsor for Metabolomics 2016 in Dublin, or they have not decided to send an expert contingent to the meeting, they will be missing out on the LARGEST European metabolomics meeting ever. The Society values all of its Sponsors and industrial research colleagues, and Sponsorships help support all the activities of the annual meeting, including Student Travel Awards, Early-career Travel Awards and invitations to high-profile plenary speakers. Businesses who become Sponsors will be interacting with members of the world’s largest scientific society dedicated to the field of metabolomics, and this exposure will impact your bottom line. Please consider supporting the Society through a Sponsorship for Metabolomics 2016 or contact us for advance information on Metabolomics2017.

International Affiliations Task Group
International Affiliates Task Group Meeting is Tuesday June 28th in Dublin
The Metabolomics Society has last year established a new task group, uniting all the international Affiliates. Affiliates are national a regional Metabolomics Societies or Foundations, which meet with each other to exchange ideas how to best organize themselves and to offer services to their members, as well as to lobby for funding. On Tuesday June 28th at 18.30h the Task Group will meet during the Metabolomics Society meeting in Dublin. The meeting is also open to individuals or groups that have an intention to set up a national or regional organisation, but haven't yet affiliated themselves with the Society, or are in the process of setting up a legal entity.

If you are interested in joining the meeting or know more about the task group you can contact Merlijn van Rijswijk, Chairman of the International Affiliates Task Group (vanrijswijk@metabolomicscentre.nl) or Ute Roessner of the Metabolomics Society Board of Directors (u.roessner@unimelb.edu.au).
INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATES CORNER
 Australian & New Zealand Metabolomics Network (ANZMN)
Visit http://www.anzmn.org
The Australian Research Council (ARC) rather quietly announced the results of several grant round last week. Linkage Projects, Laureate Fellowships, and Industrial Transformation Research Hubs and Research Centres were all there. The ANZMN congratulates all who were successful. A project with Associate Professor Malcolm McLeod of the ANU (with industrial support from Greyhounds Australasia Limited; the Queensland Racing Science Centre and Racing Analytical Services) to develop strategies to detect designer steroids in racing greyhounds is interesting from a Metabolism point of view. Dr Oliver Jones was also on a Linkage grant with Sanitarium to look at food chemistry/metabolomics. You can see all the details at the ARC's excellent grant outcomes page at https://rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/Download/Report/a3f6be6e-33f7-4fb5-98a6-7526aaa184cf/70 (just select the scheme round at the very top of the page and then scan through).


OTHER NEWS
Call for nominations for Directors of the Metabolomics Society
In the next few months, the Metabolomics Society will undertake the annual process of nominating and electing five new members to serve on the Society’s Board of Directors. We strongly encourage all Society members to play a role in nominations and elections.

•    Expectations for Directors appointment
The Society is led through the voluntary efforts of the Board of Directors. While this provides motivated individuals a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the activities, communications and ultimately growth of our metabolomics community, it also requires a time commitment of typically 2 hours per week. In addition to tasks orchestrated through the bimonthly Board Meeting, each Director is expected to serve on at least two committees or task groups, and, in many cases, to lead and chair such a group (for the current committees and task groups, see http://metabolomicssociety.org/).

•    Nominations process
Full details of the nominations process will be made available on the Society’s website in due course. Please keep in mind that the Society is an international organization involved in a wide range of subjects in the field of metabolomics. Our directors will serve us best if they reflect the diversity of backgrounds, expertise, interests, and geographic distribution of the many individuals who comprise our membership. In brief, (1) all individuals nominated must be current members of the Metabolomics Society, (2) at least two members of the Society must support the individual’s nomination. If you wish to nominate an individual to stand for election to the Board of Directors, please fill in the form available at http://goo.gl/forms/8oksEwC4224ZWHGF3. Nominees will be required to provide a short biography and statement of purpose by the end of July.

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

Tim Ebbels (Chair of Nominations Committee) & Ute Roessner (President)
 
 Software Spotlight

Metabolomics Spotlight

Mitochondrial DNA Replication Defects Cause dNTP Pool Imbalance and Disrupt One-Carbon Metabolism

 Feature article contributed by Vidya Velagapudi, Head of the Metabolomics Unit at Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM)

Summary
In response to mitochondrial disease and disturbed cell respiration, cells have to adapt their energy metabolism; however, less is known about the consequences for cytoplasmic biosynthetic reactions dependent on mitochondrial metabolites. An outstanding question in the field of mitochondrial disorders is the cause of the exceptional clinical variability of the disease group. This is exemplified by defects in TWINKLE, nuclear-encoded replicative helicase of mtDNA, manifesting as early-onset disorder of the brain and liver (e.g., infantile-onset spinocerebellar ataxia, IOSCA), or adult-onset mitochondrial myopathy (MM).

We previously generated Deletor mice with TWINKLE-associated MM, and here we report IOSCA mice, manifesting epileptic hepatoencephalopathy. Our multi-tissue metabolomic analyses of these mice indicate that mtDNA maintenance defect results in a major disturbance of mitochondrial folate-driven one-carbon cycle (Figure 1). These results show that primary mitochondrial dysfunction prioritizes metabolic flux of glucose carbons to de novo serine biosynthesis and transsulfuration for glutathione synthesis, modifies one-carbon-dependent purine synthesis, dNTP pools, leading to disturbed metabolite methylation reactions in the specific affected tissue and cell. Metabolome of IOSCA and MM (Figure 2) patient sera supported these findings. Therefore, mitochondrial dysfunction has the potential to remodel cellular anabolic and catabolic metabolism in a cell-autonomous, context-dependent manner. These results have major implications for disorders with primary and secondary mitochondrial dysfunction, mechanisms of their tissue-specificity, and offer multiple potential targets for therapy.

Highlights
- Mitochondrial disease metabolome reveals a whole-cellular one-carbon cycle defect
- Mitochondrial dysfunction affects de novo purine synthesis and dNTP pools
- Mitochondrial disease disturbs methyl cycle, with toxic intermediate accumulation


Schematic overview of mitochondrial 1C-cycle

Figure 1. Schematic overview of mitochondrial 1C-cycle. Mitochondrial 1C-cycle provides 1C units either to formyl-methionine to initiate mitochondrial translation or to formate to support cytoplasmic purine synthesis. Enzymes responsible for conversion of different intermediates in mitochondrial folate cycle are Mthfd2/2L and Mthfd1L.

Schematic picture of 1C metabolism with changed metabolites in Deletor muscle

Figure 2. Schematic picture of 1C metabolism with changed metabolites in Deletor muscle. Red color represents increased levels and green decreased.
Abbreviations: THF, tetrahydrofolate; fMet, formylmethionine; dTMP, thymidine monophosphate; AMP, adenosine monophosphate; cAMP, cyclic adenosine monophosphate; IMP, inosine monophosphate; SAM S-Adenosyl methionine; SAH, S-Adenosyl homocysteine; GAA, guanidino acetic acid; PE, phosphoethanolamine; PC, phosphatidylcholine; ROS, reactive oxygen species; MTHFD2, Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2; MTHFD1L, Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 1-like; SAHH, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase; CBS, Cystathionine-beta-synthase; XO, xanthine oxidase.


Reference
Nikkanen, J., Forsström, S., Euro, L., Paetau, I., Kohnz, R.A., Wang, L., Chilov, D., Viinamäki, J., Roivainen, A., Marjamäki, P., Liljenbäck, H., Ahola, S., Buzkova, J., Terzioglu, M., Khan, N.A., Pirnes-Karhu, S., Paetau, A., Lönnqvist, T., Sajantila, A., Isohanni, P., Tyynismaa, H., Nomura, D.K., Battersby, B., Velagapudi, V., Carroll, C.J., Suomalainen, A. Mitochondrial DNA Replication Defects Disturb Cellular dNTP Pools And Remodel One-Carbon Metabolism. Cell Metabolism, 12;23(4):635-48.

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 Dan Bearden.
Dan Bearden

 Senior NMR Scientist, US National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, USA
Dan Bearden
Biography

Dan Bearden is a Research Chemist for the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), at the Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) in Charleston, South Carolina. Dan earned a PhD in Physics from Rice University (Houston, Texas) and he conducted postdoctoral research in structural biology at the Australian National University, Research School of Chemistry. He was on the faculty of the Chemistry Department of Clemson University for nearly four years before taking up his current position. Currently, he is the NIST Senior NMR Scientist at HML. His current research involves metabolomics for marine environmental research and quantitative NMR. Metabolomics is proving to be a powerful tool for the environmental community, linking biological response to organismal stressors with novel approaches.

Metabolomics Interview (MN, MetaboNews; DB, Dan Bearden)

 MN: How did you get involved in metabolomics?

DB: I remember it like it was yesterday. I was attending the 2001 Experimental NMR Conference (ENC) in Orlando, Florida, and I walked up to a poster by Nelly Aranibar (Bristol-Myers Squibb) and, after looking at her poster with a title similar to “Automated Mode-of-Action Detection by Metabolic Profiling” (Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 286, 150–155 (2001) doi:10.1006/bbrc.2001.5350), the lights came on and I was captivated by this new science!

Having worked in an NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) lab supporting marine natural products chemistry and running a traditional environmental analytical chemistry group, I saw that metabolomics could address many of the questions that are really important in the environmental community, including areas like harmful algal blooms and anthropogenic pollution effects on marine organisms.

In a government research environment, it often takes an inordinate amount of time to switch gears into an area that is so revolutionary, and it was very difficult to get my colleagues and supervisors to accept this approach to working at the interface between chemistry and biology, especially since NMR was practically totally foreign to them as an analytical tool. However, colleagues like Nelly and Mark Viant really helped make the case by helping me get started and start to develop a team. I eventually found a couple of champions in my administration and we have done some really interesting things.

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

DB: The environmental analytical chemistry group moved into the newly constructed Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) in 2002, and, in 2004, we started construction on a facility for the new HML NMR facility. In 2006, we commissioned our 700 MHz and 800 MHz instruments, and this has really boosted our capabilities in natural products, structural biology, and metabolomics. Having this first-rate facility has really given us some exciting opportunities for collaborations.

The HML is a partnership between two federal agencies (NOAA and NIST) and three South Carolina state agencies. The array of interesting research in marine (and some freshwater) species and stressors that our colleagues pursue make the discovery of new metabolomics studies exciting. This partnering with experienced biologists, chemists, and environmental scientists is a critical aspect of us being able to focus on the metabolomics measurement issues (data quality, interpretation of results) while trusting our partners to help us navigate the complexities of the biological questions of importance.

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

 DB: Currently, we are pursuing a number of projects in the area of aquaculture, looking at the effects of experimental diets and physical stressors. There are aspects of the studies that address measurement issues (experiment design, time dependence of the metabolome, multiple tissue types, etc.) and important questions regarding what should fish farmers feed their fish for optimum growth and resiliency to stressors.

In addition, we are pursuing an environmental monitoring program looking for signs of pollution impact in known polluted areas, which have had extensive remediation activities. This program is attempting to get a biological handle on the question of how much remediation is enough? A preliminary study showed us that invasive Zebra mussels might be sensitive indicators of biological impact, so we are extending the study in a more systematic way this summer with multiple colleagues lead by the NOAA Mussel Watch program.

We have lots of other projects involving microbial extremophiles, ocean diatoms, and wild caught fishery species that are also coming to fruition.

In terms of the measurement science aspects of metabolomics, NIST is developing new standards that we think the metabolomics community will find helpful in performing intercomparison exercises through the new qMet program (NIST Quality Program in Metabolomics, which I mentioned in a Workshop during the Metabolomics 2015 meeting in San Francisco). We are currently conducting a pilot study with NMR, LC/MS, and GC/MS platforms with some external partners, and we anticipate that the general community will be invited to participate by early 2017. As the US National Measurement Institute, NIST is poised to develop and deliver new materials and tools for bringing more harmonization to metabolomics studies around the world.

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

DB: In the United States, there are lots of metabolomics research groups and the NIH has funded a significant, multi-center effort through the Common Fund program to establish centers of excellence.

For funding in areas like environmental science and aquaculture, the resources are much smaller than those available for research into human health, so we have relied on internal NIST agency funding, some specialized grants (NSF, USDA, Soy Aquaculture Alliance), and in-kind efforts with our partners for exploratory efforts to show the efficacy of metabolomics in areas they are interested in.

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

 DB: The United States imports almost 90% of the seafood consumed in the country with a $10 billion annual trade deficit, and the worldwide consumption of seafood is increasing dramatically as it becomes recognized more and more as a healthy dietary choice. In the US, the aquaculture industry is hampered by some significant production expenses related to the cost of production, including feeds, for example. Bringing ‘discovery’ tools like metabolomics into the picture may dramatically improve the design of feeds and culturing practices, increasing US competitiveness in those markets.

In environmental issues, the cost of making the environment better goes up dramatically once the first-level remediation activities have taken place. In industrialized societies, new products always eventually make their way to the environment, and the rate of new products being developed is astonishing. While quantitative measures of known anthropogenic compounds will always be important, the development of meaningful biological impacts would help in the decision-making process, and metabolomics assessments may be a ‘big net’ way to identify emerging issues so that we are not caught by surprise.

Finally, the NIST qMet program should lead the community to more robust measurement protocols with increased comparability between studies, building confidence in the findings that we anticipate in all areas of metabolomics research.

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

DB: I think that the greatest strength is that it provides a different set of eyes, with significant ‘discovery’ potential, which can be applied to every biological question of significance. For my current work, there is so little known about non-model organisms in our food chain and in the environment that we are just beginning to see important new biology and biochemical issues, which have been undiscovered so far.

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

DB: There are still some significant technological barriers that a lot of great scientists are tackling with gusto. New measurement tools, refined and improved databases, and robust workflows are all key to the maturation of the field. However, as the technology improves, it will be ever more important to engage scientists with biological, physiological, biochemical, biomedical, and clinical perspectives to find the important applications that will change the lives of people.

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

DB: I am not sure what will make it ‘take off’, but the thing that I fear is that the current community will make some avoidable mistakes related to the measurements or interpretation of results, which will soil the reputation of the science. I think this often may boil down to experimental design, so the community really needs to think of what it would take to really test a hypothesis and understand the populations they are working with better. Help and advice can come from the epidemiological community, but metabolomics researchers need to maintain their skepticism of their own results and not oversell their findings.
 
MN: How does the future look in terms of funding for metabolomics?

DB: I think metabolomics research is a viable area that will not go away, so funding will continue to increase worldwide, from governmental sources and private enterprise. I have no trouble encouraging students and post-docs to pursue the field with passion because the future is bright.

 MN: What role can metabolomics standards play?

 DB: There are so many types of ‘standards’ to consider: data, artifact, protocols, and so on. All of these areas are evolving rapidly, so things will come together eventually to make the science better. Perhaps the most deficient area right now is in artifact standards, which allow true data quality and comparability to occur between research programs. That is one reason NIST has initiated the qMet program since we have a history of being an unbiased supplier of Standard Reference Materials and data products for the world. NIST is very interested in what kinds of samples or sample sets would be of most interest to the community, so if you have any suggestions, please contact me (dan.bearden@nist.gov).

The Metabolomics Society recognizes the importance of all these standards and has formed several Task Groups (TGs) to work on these areas. These include the Data Quality TG, the Data Standards TG, the Metabolite ID TG, the Computational MS TG, and the Model Organism Metabolomes TG. If you are interested in helping, then please contact the Chairs of these TGs and make your name known!

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

DB: One of the most enjoyable things that I have done is serve as a Director of the Metabolomics Society for the last four years. The Board of Directors is composed of extremely dedicated, motivated scientists who are tops in their fields. If you want to connect better with other metabolomics scientists, first, join the Metabolomics Society and join us in Dublin for the 12th annual meeting of the Society. Then, consider running for a seat on the Board this coming election cycle; there are so many activities of significance, you will really grow professionally.

 
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
30 May-2 Jun 2016

10th conference of the Francophone Metabolomics and Fluxomics Society (RFMF)
Venue: Montpellier, France

RFMF is pleased to announce the 10th conference of the Francophone Metabolomics and Fluxomics Society (RFMF), to be held in Montpellier between the 30th of May and the 2nd of June 2016. Every year since 2005, this conference gathers scientists who are interested in metabolomics and fluxomics, and more generally in the study of metabolism. This year, the main scientific themes are:
  • Ecotoxicology, environmental metabolomics and microbiology
  • Health: clinical applications, therapeutic monitoring, biomarker determination
  • Agricultural resources and food science
This conference is also a good opportunity to hear about recent developments in analytical methods/hardware and bioinformatics tools in metabolomics and fluxomics. The meeting will include:
  • Plenary lectures by renowned international invited speakers:
    • Prof. Arthur Edison (University of Georgia, USA)
    • Prof. Elizabeth Hill (University of Sussex, UK)
    • Dr. Kris Moreel (University of Gent, Belgium)
    • Dr. Patrick Kiefer (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)
  • Oral presentations
  • Flash communications associated with poster sessions
  • Thematic workshops and round-tables
The registration and submission interfaces will open on February 1st 2016. The deadline for abstracts to be considered for oral presentations is April 1st 2016. More information can be obtained on the website of the RFMF conference: http://10-js-rfmf.sciencesconf.org/
14-17 Jun 2016

Metabolic Phenotyping in Disease Diagnosis and Personalised Health Care
Venue: Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, UK

This 3.5-day course aims to provide an overview of metabolic phenotyping including the use of NMR spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry, with insights from the experts at Imperial College and collaborators from all over the world.

Lectures will cover data acquisition and analysis with some advanced statistical workshops for more hands-on participation for attendees. There will also be examples of real life applications from the research at Imperial College and their collaborators.

Objectives include:
  • To understand collaborators from metabolic profiling field
  • To have an overview of metabolic profiling methods and applications
  • To enrich training experience and prepare for further career development
  • To network with researchers from different fields
  • To meet experts from metabolic profiling field
The course is suitable for newcomers to the field of metabolic phenotyping. Please visit our website at
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/imperial-international-phenome-training-centre/courses/metabolic-phenotyping-in-disease-diagnosis-and-personalised-health-care

or contact Dr Liz Want (iptc@imperial.ac.uk) for further information.
21-24 Jun 2016

Data Analysis for Metabolic Phenotyping
Venue: Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, UK

This 3.5-day course aims to provide an overview of data analysis for metabolic phenotyping studies, using data acquired from both liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy.

It combines lectures and tutorial sessions to ensure a thorough understanding of the theory and practical applications.
  • Pre-processing of data acquired via LC-MS and NMR.
  • Basic chemometrics and unsupervised analysis including PCA.
  • Supervised analysis and advanced chemometrics - OPLS and O2PLS
  • Pathway analysis and statistical spectroscopy.
The course does not assume any experience of coding or statistical analysis. Please visit our website at
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/imperial-international-phenome-training-centre/courses/hands-on-data-analysis-for-metabolic-profiling

or contact Dr Tim Ebbels (iptc@imperial.ac.uk) for further information.
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.
17-21 Jul 2016

4th Annual Workshop on Metabolomics
Venue: University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

The 4th Annual UAB Metabolomics Workshop, sponsored by the NIH Common Fund Metabolomics Program, will be held Sunday, July 17 to Thursday, July 21, 2016. Registration is now open (http://www.uab.edu/proteomics/metabolomics/workshop/workshop_july_2016.php) and will close on April 29, 2016. There will be slots for up to 40 registrants. An R25 grant from the NIGMS provides funding support for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Slots are also available for Faculty at all levels who wish to receive training in this rapidly growing complement to biomedical research.

Women, members of under-represented minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The metabolome, in distinction to the other –Omics, provides a better assessment of the exposure to the chemicals of life – it is truly intergenomic providing information on “metabolites” coming from ourselves or the model we’re using, the unique, non-human/mammalian compounds we consume as part of our food, compounds generated by the microorganisms that are part of “us”, and other compounds that are in the environments we live in. If ever precision medicine is able to deliver what is claimed it will, it has to include the metabolome context in which genes and proteins are operating.

The themes in this fourth year of the workshop are:
  1. Design of a metabolomics experiment
  2. Sample stability and extraction methods
  3. Analytical systems (nuclear magnetic resonance and gas- and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry)
    • Targeted metabolomics
    • Untargeted metabolomics
    • Quantitative metabolomics
  4. Pre-processing of analytical data (Mzmine 2 and XCMSonline and Chenomx)
  5. Statistical analysis of the data (MetaboAnalyst, Simca, SAS)
  6. Metabolite databases (METLIN, HMDB, LIPIDMAPS, PubChem, ChemSpider)
  7. Identification of metabolites (MetaboSearch, MSMS analysis)
  8. Metabolite pathway analysis (Mummichog, KEGG, GeneGo, Ingenuity)
  9. Advanced elective sessions allow attendees to fine tune their training experience
    • Imaging mass spectrometry
    • isotope ratio analysis
    • Ion mobility
    • Using metabolomics software at the command line and based programs
For further details, visit http://www.uab.edu/proteomics/metabolomics/workshop/workshop_july_2016.php.
17-21 Jul 2016

16th International Conference of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Venue: Vancouver Convention Centre, East Building in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The 2016 Conference is jointly organized by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB), the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences (CSMB) and the Pan-American Association for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PABMB).

The theme of the 2016 Conference ‘Signalling Pathways in Development, Disease and Aging’ will underpin the need for collaboration and cooperation of individuals from a wide range of professional backgrounds.

Vancouver is an exceptional location for the Congress. It is renowned as one of the world’s most outstanding convention cities, with the sparkling Pacific Ocean and towering Coast Mountains providing a unique and spectacular setting.  The IUBMB 2016 Conference will be held in the East Building of the Vancouver Convention Centre right under the famous sails and perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean with wonderful space for both scientific presentations and commercial exhibition.

The social program highlighting our West Coast cuisine, unique culture and arts, combined with the breathtaking natural beauty and pre- and post congress meetings and tours will underscore the role of Vancouver as one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.

The IUBMB 2016 Conference will provide a wonderful forum for you to refresh your knowledge base and explore the innovations in proteomics and genomics. The Conference will strive to offer plenty of networking opportunities, providing you with the opportunity to meet and interact with the leading scientists and researchers, friends and colleagues as well as sponsors and exhibitors.

For further details, visit http://www.iubmb2016.org/.

12-23 Sep 2016

2016 International Summer Sessions in Metabolomics
Venue: Campus UC Davis, CA, USA

The course will include:
  • Study design, including pitfall analysis and hidden biases in studies from microbial, plant, mouse and human cohort research
  • Sample preparation and quality control
  • In-laboratory detailed discussions standard operating procedures for GC-MS and LC-MS data acquisitions
  • Targeted metabolomics, including monitoring charts and use of isotope labeled internal standards
  • Exercises on flux analysis in cancer cells by isotope tracer analysis
  • Exercises on identification of unknowns by cheminformatics software workflows (incl. CFM-ID, MassFrontier, and various databases and small software routines)
  • Untargeted data processing and exercises on MZmine and MS-DIAL software
  • Data normalizations and transformations with and without internal standards and Quality Controls
  • Multivariate and univariate statistics (incl. Devium, MetaboAnalyst and other software)
  • Pathway mapping (incl. MetaboAnalyst and MetaMapR)
For further details, visit http://metabolomics.ucdavis.edu/courses-and-seminars/courses.
28 Nov to 2 Dec 2016

Workflow4Experimenters (W4E) Course 2016
Venue: ABiMS platform, Roscoff, France

Using Galaxy and the Workflow4metabolomics infrastructure to analyse metabolomics data

Overview: Pre-processing, statistical analysis, and annotation of metabolomics data is a complex task. The Workflow4metabolomics online infrastructure provides a user-friendly and high-performance environment with advanced computational modules for building, running, and sharing complete workflows for LC-MS, GC-MS, and NMR analysis (Giacomoni et al., 2015).

Goals: During this one-week course, participants will learn how to use the W4M infrastructure to analyze their own dataset.Morning sessions will be dedicated to methodology and tools. Afternoon sessions will be devoted to tutoring.

Target audience: LC-MS, GC-MS and NMR experimenters (e.g., biologists, chemists)

Registration fee: 750 € (Academia) and 1400 € (Industry); Fees include accommodations but not travel expenses

Language: English

Pre-registration: Monday 30 May 2016 to Friday 15th July 2016 at Workflow4Experimenters course 2016

Contact: contact@workflow4metabolomics.org

For further details, visit http://workflow4metabolomics.org/training/W4Mcourse2016.
8-10 Dec 2016

4th ICAN Conference Series on Precision Medicine in Cardiometabolic Diseases and Nutrition-Related Diseases

Save the date. Program and registration coming soon: http://www.ican-series.com/

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
Junior Faculty (Instructor/Assistant Professor) in Metabolomics
 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York City, NY, USA 27-May-2016 Until filled
 Metabolomics Society Jobs
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Plant Metabolomics
 Norwegian Institute of Food, Fishery and Aquaculture
 Ås, Norway 20-May-2016 8-Jun-2016
 Metabolomics Society Jobs
Postdoctoral fellows Metabolomics (Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry)
 University of Tübingen
 Tübingen, Germany 19-May-2016 10-Jun-2016
 Metabolomics Society Jobs
Joint Postdoctoral Research Position in Aquaculture Metabolomics
 IMET and NIST
 Baltimore, MD, and
Charleston, SC, USA		 18-May-2016 30-Jun-2016
 Metabolomics Society Jobs
Postdoctoral Associate - Biochemistry
 University of Florida
 Main Campus, Gainesville, FL, USA 2-May-2016 2-Jun-2016
 University of Florida
Postdoctoral Associate Position in Metabolomics
Yale University New Haven, USA 28-Apr-2016
Yale University
Field Application Specialist Metabolomics/Mass spectrometry (East Coast)
 BIOCRATES Life Sciences
 East Coast, USA 26-Apr-2016
BIOCRATES Life Sciences AG
Metabolomics Method Development Specialist
 Purdue University
 West Lafayette, Indiana, USA 19-Apr-2016
Metabolomics Society Jobs
Postdoctoral Scientist
 University of Alberta
 Edmonton, Canada 13-Apr-2016
The Metabolomics Innovation Centre


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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