MetaboNews -- May 2017
MetaboNews Masthead
Published in partnership between
TMIC and the Metabolomics Society
Issue 69 - May 2017

CONTENTS:


Online version of this newsletter:
 http://www.metabonews.ca/May2017/MetaboNews_May2017.htm
TMIC Services
TMIC Services

Welcome to the sixty-ninth 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 Database Spotlight article titled "Exposome Explorer: A new database on biomarkers of exposure", and a metabolomics interview with Kati Hanhineva of the University of Eastern Finland.
This issue of MetaboNews is supported by:

Chenomx -- Metabolite Discovery & Measurement
Chenomx Inc.

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Metabolomics Society News

CONFERENCE CORNER 

13th Annual Conference of the International Metabolomics Society
25th – 29th June, 2017, Brisbane, Australia

Accepting Abstracts for Poster Presentation until May 10th
The deadline for abstracts to be considered for oral presentation is now past; however, you still have an opportunity to be considered for poster presentation if you missed the original deadline. Reviews are underway to select oral presentations and notices will be sent out by early May.

Submit your abstract NOW for a chance to present at Metabolomics 2017.

Accepting Abstracts for Poster Presentation until May 10th
 Calling Student Photographers!
Two Student Photographers are needed to document the sessions and capture the atmosphere of the meeting. If you have experience with photography, and you would be interested in this opportunity, we welcome your application. Photographers must have their own equipment and supplies.

The two selected photographers will each receive a $500 USD Travel Award. 

To be considered please send an e-mail to info@metabolomics2017.com that contains the following:
If selected, you will be able to coordinate with the other photographer to create an even mix of photography time and session participation. 

Brisbane Workshops
An exciting line-up of workshops is being developed for the conference in Brisbane. Below is the current list of workshops scheduled for Sunday and Monday, June 25 and 26. For the complete schedule and descriptions, click here.
 Helpful links to conference information:
Make the most of your trip to Brisbane, click the logos below to learn more about local attractions.
Brisbane
          
Queensland


MEMBERS CORNER

Board of Directors - Author: Jules Griffin, Metabolomics Society President

Words from the Chair
This was another long telephone conference (TC), in part reflecting the busy period in the Society's year; indeed, I even got a telling off from a Board member for not keeping us to time! As I mentioned in my last 'words from the chair', we've been dealing with the elections of the honorary fellows and this year it’s been a close election requiring another round of voting. As I type, I can't yet announce who has been elected but can say we had some excellent candidates, which has generated a lot of debate. The topic that most loomed large at the TC was the international meeting coming up in Brisbane, Australia. Preparation is in full swing. I am aware from members in Europe and North America that travel costs are high but I would urge you to come, and, for those of you that are students and early career scientists, I would encourage you to look at the bursaries both the Society as a whole and the EMN are advertising (Stacey and company appear to have found some money 'under the sofa' to help EMN members to attend!) I would also like to say that it's very important for our Society to be truly international. We have recently revamped the International Affiliates Working group, which now consists of Merlijn van Rijswijk, Craig Wheelock, and myself, and we are busy discussing new affiliates from across the globe. Most recently we've been in discussions with groups from the UK, Italy, South Africa, and Mexico. So the abstract deadlines are open until the 10th May and I encourage you all to come to Brisbane and be part of the international meeting of our Society. Strewth, I can almost taste the beer in the 'cold tinnie'.

Early-career Members Network (EMN) - Author: Baljit Ubhi
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.

13th Annual International Conference of the Metabolomics Society:
Watch this space for the EMN reception details being held on Tuesday, June 27th at 7PM where we are planning on creating a lot of fun and games allowing early career members to socialize and network!

EMN Webinar Series:
The EMN webinar series continued in March and our speaker was Dr. Stephan Hann from BOKU, Vienna. His talk, titled “How well do I quantify? Concepts for method validation and evaluation of measurement uncertainty in metabolomics,” focused on the quantitation strategies for LC- and GC-based metabolomics. The webinar can be accessed here.

Please note that this webinar is available for free to everyone courtesy of the Metabolomics Society and will be uploaded to the society's website. All subsequent sessions from our series will only be available for members of the Metabolomics Society with the opportunity to revisit live recorded sessions at your own convenience. Make sure to check the Metabolomics Society website, Twitter, Facebook for updates on the webinar.


INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATES CORNER

 Australian & New Zealand Metabolomics Network (ANZMN) - Author: Oliver Jones
Visit http://www.anzmn.org

The Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry (ANZSMS) will hold their 26th bi-annual Conference in Adelaide in July 2017. Themes of the meeting include both metabolite and lipid analysis. The meeting aims to provide a forum for the presentation of research in mass spectrometry and its related disciplines and to develop networks between local and international participants in all areas, from academia to industry. Dating back to 1971, ANZSMS26 is the premier conference for mass spectrometry in the Australia & New Zealand region and always receives a high number of quality presentations. View the event flyer at https://www.dropbox.com/s/bht0xst4s3mv6vl/ANZSMS%2Bflyer.pdf?dl=0.

To learn more, please visit http://www.aomevents.com/ANZSMS26.

Réseau Français de Métabolomique et Fluxomique (RFMF) - Author: Fabien Jourdan
Visit http://www.rfmf.fr/
SMMAP2017: Mass Spectrometry, Metabolomics and Proteomics Analysis, Disney Resort, France
October 2-5, 2017

The French Society of Mass Spectrometry, the French Network of Metabolomics and Fluxomics, and the French Society of Electrophoresis and Proteomic Analysis are happy to introduce the first joint conference SMMAP 2017 (Mass Spectrometry, Metabolomics and Proteomic Analysis 2017). The local organizing committee will welcome you at the New York Hotel® (Disneyland® Paris, Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy) from Tuesday 3 to Thursday 5 October 2017. A satellite meeting will be organized on Monday, 2 October, for training activities, round tables and a young researchers' meeting.

This unique event, which will host more than 450 participants, will foster interdisciplinary, as well as scientific exchanges between communities that traditionally meet separately. It will also be an opportunity to broaden our knowledge, share experiences, and create new links, both scientific and personal. The conference will also welcome scientists from the private sector, working on instrumentation, sample preparation, and data processing.

SMMAP2017 / smmap2017@sciencesconf.org


 
 Software Spotlight

Database Spotlight

Exposome Explorer: A new database on biomarkers of exposure

 Feature article contributed by Vanessa Neveu1, Alice Moussy1, Héloïse Rouaix1, Roland Wedekind1, Allison Pon2, Craig Knox2, David S. Wishart2 and Augustin Scalbert1

1International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Nutrition and Metabolism Section, Biomarkers Group, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, F-69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France
2Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E8, Canada

The exposome is defined as an individual's total exposure to various chemical compounds over the course of a lifetime [1,2]. Its characterization is essential in molecular epidemiology to understand the role of lifestyle, diet, and other environmental exposures on the risk of various diseases. Blood, urine, and other biospecimens collected in cohort studies contain hundreds to thousands of compounds directly derived from dietary compounds, pollutants, and other contaminants that are all potential indicators of exposures [3,4].

Exposome-Explorer (http://exposome-explorer.iarc.fr) is the first database dedicated to biomarkers of exposure to environmental risk factors for diseases [5]. It contains detailed information on the nature of biomarkers, populations, and individuals whose biomarkers have been measured, samples analysed, methods used for biomarker analyses, concentrations in biospecimens, correlations with external exposure measurements, and biological reproducibility over time (Figure 1).

Screenshot montage of a biomarker view

Figure 1. Screenshot montage of a biomarker view. Distinct areas are shown: structure and chemical information (A), concentrations (B), correlations (C), and reproducibility (D) collated from several publications. Details on populations, biospecimens, analytical methods, and corresponding citations are displayed. More fields can be displayed with the 'Show/Hide columns' button. Reproduced from Neveu V. et al., Nucl. Acid Res. 2017, 45, D979-D984.

The data in Exposome-Explorer was manually collected from peer-reviewed publications.
A total of 480 publications were analyzed and 10,510 concentration values in blood, urine, and other biospecimens for 692 dietary and pollutant biomarkers were collected (Figure 2). The database also contains 8,034 correlation values between dietary biomarker levels and food intake, and 536 values of biological reproducibility over time. These data are valuable indicators of the quality of a biomarker.

Click on the thumbnail below to view a larger version of the image

Dietary and pollutant biomarkers in Exposome-Explorer

Figure 2. Dietary and pollutant biomarkers in Exposome-Explorer.

Exposome-Explorer should be useful for researchers interested in identifying the common and most useful indicators of exposures in metabolic profiles acquired during metabolomic studies. It can also be used to select panels of biomarkers to measure complex exposures in exposome-wide association studies.

New data on candidate biomarkers, measured in both observational and intervention studies, are now being added to the database. Data on associations of biomarkers of exposures with diseases or surrogate markers will also be collected.

References
  1. Wild, C.P., Complementing the genome with an "exposome": The outstanding challenge of environmental exposure measurement in molecular epidemiology. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 2005. 14(8): p. 1847-1850.
  2. Rappaport, S.M. and M.T. Smith, Environment and Disease Risks. Science, 2010. 330(6003): p. 460-461.
  3. Rappaport, S.M. et al., The blood exposome and its role in discovering causes of disease. Environ Health Perspect, 2014. 122(8): p. 769-74.
  4. Scalbert, A. et al., The food metabolome – A window over dietary exposure. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2014. 99: p. 1286-1308.
  5. Neveu, V. et al., Exposome-Explorer: a manually-curated database on biomarkers of exposure to dietary and environmental factors. Nucleic Acids Research, 2017. 45(D1): p. D979-D984.

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 Kati Hanhineva.
Kati Hanhineva

 Group Leader, School of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
Kati Hanhineva
Biography

Kati Hanhineva, PhD, Academy Research Fellow, is group leader at the School of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition at the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. She completed her PhD in plant biotechnology at the University of Kuopio in 2008, and conducted post-doctoral research at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition in projects related to the beneficial health effect of whole grain rich diets, before becoming a group leader at the same department. Currently her research group’s main interests are in the area of phytochemical diversity of plant-rich foods, and the impact of colonic microbiota on those, as well as the metabolic alterations they subsequently evoke in mammalian metabolism.

Metabolomics Interview (MN, MetaboNews; KH, Kati Hanhineva)

 MN: How did you get involved in metabolomics?

KH: During the latter part of my PhD work, on several occasions, I visited the laboratory of Dr. Asaph Aharoni at the Weizmann Institute (Israel) and got familiarized with non-targeted metabolite profiling utilizing LC-MS. The approach was crucial for the successful outcome of my research project and I was completely fascinated by the technology. I have utilized metabolomics in all my research work since then, and together with Prof. Seppo Auriola, established an analytical unit at the University of Eastern Finland in 2010.

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

KH: The most exciting part clearly is the ability to make novel discoveries. The discovery of novel compounds or some interesting metabolic phenomena related to one's research question perfectly satisfies the natural born curiosity of a researcher! Another aspect is naturally the wealth of information that one can gain from a single analysis, as well as the challenges related to it, including various stages of data processing and the actual output and visual presentation of the results.

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

 KH: My group is mainly interested in looking at the impact of phytochemical rich diets on human health and the role of microbiota as a mediator. We are particularly interested in identifying the microbiota-produced metabolites from foodstuff and many of our current collaborative projects are in this area. We aim to identify the branches of endogenous metabolism that typically reflect dietary changes and, therefore, could be responsible for health-related effects of diet. Another key aspect is the development of data analytical procedures that we currently are conducting in collaboration with research groups in computational metabolomics.

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

KH: During past years, several novel metabolomics facilities have been established utilizing both targeted and non-targeted approaches, for example, in plant research. There is also very strong community within health technology showing interest towards novel technologies enabling deeper biochemical examination of humans, and clearly metabolomics is one of those. Our unit is currently spinning-out the metabolomics services as a start-up company to respond to the increased demand. In NMR-based metabolomics, there has been successful commercialization (Nightingale Health, https://nightingalehealth.com/), and the company is focusing on implementing NMR metabolomics on clinical applications worldwide.

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

 KH: Currently, we are putting major efforts into workflow optimization and maximizing the coverage of metabolites, by utilizing multiple analytical modes. We aim to have a uniform, comprehensive approach for easy-to-adopt metabolomics analyses, which would facilitate high throughput analytical services.

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

KH: Non-targeted profiling is essentially the only approach that allows one to discover unanticipated metabolic alterations, related to any research question. This approach is extremely important for basic research. Another strength is the coverage of compounds, which holds vast potential for implementation in the healthcare system, most likely through semi-targeted applications.

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

KH: At the moment, the barriers relate to the wealth of data obtained and the procedures used to treat the data. Already the feature collection is extremely demanding; in order to achieve clear, neat data matrices containing compounds, not redundant metabolite features, a great deal of development is required. Additionally, the identification of completely novel compounds that typically arise from every non-targeted metabolite profiling assay continues to be a challenge.
 
MN: What improvements, technological or otherwise, need to take place for metabolomics to really take off? 

KH: Hardware is improving on a continual basis and, thanks to these improvements, biochemicals can be detected with better sensitivity and accuracy than ever before. Also, developments in the computational approaches are ongoing on various aspects of data analysis including the identification of unknown compounds. The next step is to successfully implement the best possible data analytical practices and algorithms with the aim of producing high quality analytical data. However, more efficient interaction between the metabolomics end users and the developers of the computational algorithms is needed.

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

KH: It is one of the fastest growing areas in the biosciences, so I suppose the funding continues to be basically secure. I would say that, for most research projects, the inclusion of metabolomics experiments is favourable in terms of successful grant applications.

MN: What role can metabolomics standards play?

KH: There are various aspects of metabolomics that would benefit from standardization, for example, reporting the analytical conditions, unifying the data processing practices, and presenting the data related to compound identification. At the moment, these procedures are diverse, but luckily there are various ongoing initiatives on metabolomics standardization. Hopefully they will become part of routine practice in metabolomics research in the future.

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

KH: I am happy to be able to utilize this exciting technology in my research, develop it further, and am curious to see how the area evolves in the future!


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:

MetaboNews

MetaboNews
20 Apr 2017
CASMI Identification Contest goes into its Fifth Round

The Critical Assessment of Small Molecule Identification (CASMI) Contest [1] was founded in 2012 as an open contest for the experimental and computational mass spectrometry communities. Subsequent CASMI contests were held in 2013, 2014, and 2016. The last contest had one category with natural product spectra targeting manual approaches (see Phytochemistry Letters [2]). Two new categories for automated methods revealed 34% (no metadata) to 80% (with metadata) challenges ranked first (see Journal of Cheminformatics [3]).

Now in 2017, you are invited to participate in the fifth round of CASMI [4]. The contest offers challenges for manual and automated approaches. Most challenges are plant-derived compounds, with a few endogenous to humans, including some less-well-known substances to keep participants on their toes. Everyone is welcome to participate; we look forward to another exciting contest! Check out the website and contact us at casmi-team2017@lists.sf.net if you have any questions.

[1] http://www.casmi-contest.org/
[2] https://www.journals.elsevier.com/phytochemistry-letters/
[3] https://jcheminf.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13321-017-0207-1
[4] http://www.casmi-contest.org/2017/


Metabolomics Events

Metabolomics Events
8 May 2017
Metabolomics: Understanding Metabolism in the 21st Century
Massive Open Online course by the Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre, hosted on the FutureLearn platform

This 4-week course will introduce you to metabolomics using a combination of videos, short articles, discussion points and self-assessment quizzes. The course will investigate the advantages and challenges of studying the metabolome, and the interdisciplinary approaches that have driven the development of the metabolomics field. To facilitate your understanding of the subject you will have the opportunity to interact with your fellow learners and the team of educators (led by Professor Mark Viant and Dr Warwick Dunn) on the discussion forums.

Study time: 4 weeks, 3 hours study time per week.

The course is aimed at final year undergraduate science students and research scientists but will provide a valuable introduction to the metabolomics field for scientists at any stage in their careers.

To register for this free online course, please visit https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/metabolomics
8-11 May 2017
Metabolomics Workshop
Venue: Michigan Regional Comprehensive Metabolomics Resource Core, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

The Michigan Regional Comprehensive Metabolomics Resource Core (MRC2) is presenting a four-day Metabolomics Workshop, May 8-11, 2017. This workshop is intended for investigators seeking a solid foundation to expand their research using metabolomics. The 2017 program agenda will be available in February.

Sessions include:
  • Study design
  • Sample collection
  • Analytical methods
  • Data processing, statistical analysis, and metabolite identification
  • Exploratory analysis with bioinformatics tools
  • Case study applications
  • Hands-on data analysis training, including statistical analysis and data visualization

For more information, visit http://mrc2.umich.edu/workshop

11-13 May 2017
Metabolism in Time and Space: Emerging Links to Cellular and Developmental Programs
Venue: EMBL Heidelberg, Germany

T. Alexandrov, A. Aulehla, P. Dorrestein, O. Leyser, S. McKnight, N. Perrimon

Deadlines
  • Registration - 30 Mar 2017
  • Abstract - 16 Feb 2017

Download Poster

Topics

  • Metabolism in time and space
  • Mechanistic insights - crosstalk metabolism/cellular functions
  • Metabolic control of development
  • Metabolism in growth control
  • Beyond the canonical roles of metabolism

Latest News

  • Registration is now open. Please visit the registration page for more information.
  • Got something to tweet? Say it #EESMetabolism

Stay up to date! Add this event easily to your calendar by downloading the iCal>>     Add to calendar

Why attend?
This symposium focuses on the role of metabolism in controlling cellular and developmental programs in its spatial and temporal complexity. There is a fundamental interest in deciphering the intricate link between metabolism and regulatory cellular programs during cell differentiation and the development of multicellular organisms. Recent technological progress has enabled us to analyse metabolism and metabolic activities with spatio-temporal resolution. This creates unprecedented potential to address how metabolic state impacts on cellular and developmental programs.

Aims
It is the overarching goal of this meeting to enable interdisciplinary discussion on the role of metabolism in controlling cellular and developmental programs in its spatial and temporal complexity. Special focus will be given to discuss emerging imaging or biosensor technologies and bioinformatics and how they can enable addressing fundamental biological questions.

For more information, visit http://www.embo-embl-symposia.org/symposia/2017/EES17-01/index.html

15-16 May 2017
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 hands-on approach to teach the latest techniques and tools available to perform metabolite identification. We will apply these tools on the Q Exactive and LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometry family. The course is targeted towards students and researchers who are actively applying metabolomics.

The course will be led by experts in the field and include significant hands-on experience using both the Q Exactive and LTQ Orbitrap instruments to perform:
  • Data dependent acquisition
  • Data independent acquisition
  • MS/MS and MSn data acquisition
The course will finish with a session on the tips and tricks from the experts and an opportunity to ask questions.

Bursaries are now available for PhD students funded by the BBSRC, MRC, or NERC.

For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/metabolite-identification.aspx or contact bmtc@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
17-18 May 2017
Conference on Food and Nutritional Metabolomics for Health
Venue: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

The purpose of this two-day event is to disseminate state-of-the-art knowledge in the field of food and nutritional metabolomics and foster networking and collaboration among colleagues and industry partners.

For more information please visit: https://discovery.osu.edu/focus-areas/foods-for-health/events/conference-2017.html.
29 May to
2 June 2017
W4E2017 Course: Analyze your LCMS, GCMS and NMR data with Galaxy and the Workflow4Metabolomics e-infrastructure
Venue: Paris, France

W4E2017 Course
The next Workflow4Experimenters international course (W4E2017) will take place in Paris (May 29 to June 2, 2017). During this one-week course (entirely in English), you will learn how to use Galaxy and the W4M infrastructure to analyze your own LC-MS, GC-MS, or NMR data set. Morning sessions will be dedicated to methodology and tools. Afternoon sessions will be devoted to tutoring.

Invited speakers: Tim Ebbels (Imperial College), Steffen Neumann (IPB Halle), and Ralf Weber (Birmingham University).

Registrations: http://workflow4metabolomics.org
Contact: contact@workflow4metabolomics.org
5-7 June 2017
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 LC-MS analysis. The course is targeted towards students and researchers who are actively applying metabolomics in their research. The course will be led by experts in the field and include:
  • An overview of 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 clean up methods
  • An overview of data analysis and metabolite identification
  • An opportunity to ask questions and seek advice to prepare samples in your own research
Bursaries are now available for PhD students funded by the BBSRC, MRC, or NERC.

For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/sample-analysis.aspx or contact bmtc@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
6-7 June 2017
Informatics and Statistics for Metabolomics (2017)
Venue: Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Course Objectives
A poster announcing this workshop can be found here

Using high-throughput technologies, life science researchers can identify and characterize all the small molecules or metabolites in a given cell, tissue, or organism. The CBW course covers many topics ranging from understanding metabolomics technologies, data collection and analysis, using pathway databases, performing pathway analysis, conducting univariate and multivariate statistics, working with metabolomic databases, and exploring chemical databases. Hands-on practical tutorials using various data sets and tools will assist participants in learning metabolomics analysis techniques.

Participants will gain practical experience and skills to be able to:
  • Design appropriate metabolome-focused experiments
  • Understand the advantages and limitations of metabolomic data analysis
  • Devise an appropriate bioinformatics workflow for processing and analyzing metabolomic data
  • Apply appropriate statistics to undertake rigorous data analysis
  • Visualize datasets to gain intuitive insights into the composition and/or activity of their metabolome
For more information, visit https://bioinformatics.ca/workshops/2017/informatics-and-statistics-metabolomics-2017
8 June 2017
Metabolomics in Personalized Medicine Workshop
Venue: 18th floor of Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Ave, Toronto, ON (room number to be finalized closer to the date of the workshop)
Biocrates and The Metabolomics Innovation Centre (TMIC) of the University of Alberta are partnering to bring you an upcoming workshop, Metabolomics in Personalized Medicine: From Theory to Practice, to be held in Toronto on June 8th, 2017. The one-day workshop is being sponsored by Biocrates and organized by TMIC head Dr. David Wishart, and will feature several presenters from diverse disciplines.

Download Agenda

The workshop will be held on the 18th floor of Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Ave, Toronto, ON. (Room number to be finalized closer to the date of the workshop.)

To register for the free workshop, please email register@mpm2017.ca and include your name, affiliation, and areas of research interest.
12-14 June 2017
Metabolomics with the Q Exactive
Venue: Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
This three-day 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 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 and using the Q Exactive mass spectrometer in your studies
  • Polar and non-polar sample preparation for profiling and targeted studies
  • 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.

Bursaries are now available for PhD students funded by the BBSRC, MRC, or NERC.

For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/q-exactive.aspx or contact bmtc@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
20-23 June 2017
Hands-on Data Analysis for Metabolic Profiling
Venue: Imperial International Phenome Training Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
This 4 day course provides a comprehensive overview of data analysis for metabolic profiling studies with data acquired from NMR spectroscopy and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. It combines lectures and tutorial sessions to ensure a thorough understanding of the theory and practical applications.
  • Day 1: Introductory lectures and tutorials regarding the pre-processing of data acquired via NMR and LC-MS.
  • Day 2: Lectures and tutorials introducing exploratory chemometrics approaches, including PCA.
  • Day 3: Lectures and tutorials covering advanced chemometrics techniques including PLS and Orthogonal PLS.
  • Day 4: The next step - computational tools to aid metabolite identification and pathway analysis.
This course has been approved by the Royal Society of Chemistry. This event has been awarded 20 CPD credits by the Royal Society of Medicine in accordance with its current guidelines.

For more information, visit http://www.imperial.ac.uk/imperial-international-phenome-training-centre/courses/hands-on-data-analysis-for-metabolic-profiling/
26-29 June 2017
Metabolomics 2017
Venue: Brisbane, Australia
It is our pleasure to invite you to the 13th International Conference of the Metabolomics Society from 25-29th June, 2017 at the Brisbane Conference and Exhibition Centre (BCEC) in Brisbane, Australia.

Brisbane is a vibrant, friendly, lifestyle city—home to leading medical research and a thriving industry hub, located in the heart of Australia’s premier tourist region. The BCEC is rated among the top three convention centres in the world, and was the venue of the 2014 G20 Leaders Summit. It is ideally located in the unique riverside cultural and lifestyle precinct at South Bank, which is an inner city oasis with riverfront parkland, rainforest pockets and Australia’s only city-based sand and swimming beach as well as Australia’s newest and largest Gallery of Modern Art, cafes, restaurants and stylish shops.

The conference has the theme of Building Bridges and under this banner extends its reach to the systems biology / genome-scale modelling community, as well as to the analytical chemistry / natural products chemistry community. In addition, the program features thematic streams for advancing the field, for food and environmental metabolomics, and for health and wellness. In addition, a deeper engagement between researchers within the Asia Pacific region is a natural focus for a conference held in Brisbane to promote metabolomics research, build and strengthen networks in the region.

We invite you to attend an exciting scientific program comprising 27 oral sessions, 5 plenaries, 4 poster sessions, sponsored luncheons, as well as several keynote lectures and workshops. We will continue the successful tradition of satellite workshops to the conference in the afternoon of Sunday 25th June and the morning of Monday 26th June. Additionally, we have planned a range of social activities, including a welcome reception, an early-career researcher mixer and a conference dinner in the iconic BCEC Plaza Ballroom to give you a true Aussie-style experience.

As part of the Metabolomics 2017 conference, the Australia & New Zealand Metabolomics Network (ANZMET) has been organizing the ANZMET workshop. As part of the workshop, they aim to publish papers that arise from the discussions (similar to the ANZMET conference) in the Metabolites journal.

Brisbane is the ideal opportunity for delegates to enjoy a microcosm of Australia’s iconic experiences. World heritage listed rainforests, amazing beaches, islands, wineries and the internationally famous Australia Zoo—home of the crocodile hunter—are all easily accessible within an hour of the city. You can even do day trips to the Barrier Reef from Brisbane.

On behalf of the Local Organising Committee and the Metabolomics Society Board we are excited to once again invite you to Metabolomics 2017—we are looking forward to welcoming you down under!

Prof. Melissa Fitzgerald, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences & Dr. Horst Joachim Schirra, Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

For more information, visit http://metabolomics2017.org/.
2-5 Jul 2017
28th Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis Conference (PBA 2017)
Venue: San Pablo CEU University, Madrid, Spain
It is our great pleasure to invite you to the 28th Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis Conference (PBA 2017) that will take place in MADRID at San Pablo CEU University on 2-5 July 2017.

The conference will cover all aspects of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis, with particular emphasis on bringing Pharma industry to meet Academia.
Key representatives in all areas of PHARMA INDUSTRY: R&D and quality control, both for small molecules and biopharmaceuticals will be invited to present their developments and pending challenges. In addition, as would be expected, “omics” methodologies, especially METABOLOMICS, will occupy a special place.

The purpose of PBA 2017 is to bring together people from Industry, Universities, Control Laboratories and Hospitals to discuss the current status of analytical techniques including instrumental applications and theoretical developments. Plenary and Keynote Lectures will be given by internationally recognized invited speakers. An attractive program of social events will also be arranged during the symposium.

For further information, visit https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1890431.
16-21 Jul 2017
2017 UAB Metabolomics Workshop
Venue: Birmingham, Alabama, USA
The 2017 UAB Metabolomics Workshop will be held July 16-21 in Birmingham, Alabama. There will be slots for 40 attendees. We particularly encourage graduate students and postdoctoral and clinical fellows. Those at US universities and institutes may qualify for support from NIH funding. We also encourage applications from all levels of faculty and other research personnel as well as all genders and ethnicities.

The themes in this 5th 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. Integrated –omics (MetabNet, 3Omics)
  10. Advanced elective sessions (Imaging mass spectrometry, isotope ratio outlier analysis, Ion mobility, Command line and R programs)
  11. Electives will allow attendees to fine tune their training experience
Those interested in applying should go to http://www.uab.edu/proteomics/metabolomics/workshop/workshop_july_2017.php. Any questions about the workshop should be directed to sbarnes@uab.edu.
21 Jul 2017
Introduction to Metabolomics for the Clinical Scientist
Venue: Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
This one-day course in partnership with the Phenome Centre Birmingham will provide clinicians with an overview of the metabolomics pipeline, highlighting the benefits of the technique to the medical field. The course will provide an:
  • Introduction to experimental design and sample collection
  • An overview of both the analytical and computational methods applied in the field
  • Case studies and panel discussions with the experts
Bursaries are now available for PhD students funded by the BBSRC, MRC, or NERC.

For further information and registrations details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/introduction-metabolomics.aspx or contact bmtc@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
11-15 Sep 2017
School on "Cloud-based Metabolomics Data Analysis and Collaboration"
Venue: Building 2 of the Technology Park of Sardinia Pula, Sardinia, Italy
Metabolomics is a well established -omics science whose growth is bringing about new challenges. Systematic studies and integration with other data sources are resulting in ever larger dataset sizes; production applications require superior computational scalability of analysis techniques; complex, multi-step workflows make study reproducibility more challenging.

At the same time, cloud computing technologies are extending their functionality and provide practical solutions for many of these problems.

In this School students will have the opportunity to learn about current topics in metabolomics, with a slant on the integration of cloud computing technologies where they are beneficial to the effectiveness and efficiency of research and analysis work. Top-level lecturers in the field will provide their insight and will be available for the entire duration of the school, with ample opportunity for interaction with the students. Importantly, the School will also include practical sessions where students can put their new knowledge into practice under the guidance of tutors and run analyses using the new PhenoMeNal cloud-based metabolomics platform.

For more information, visit http://cloudmet2017.crs4.it/.
20-23 Sep 2017
MOVISS: Bio and Data
Venue: Vorau, Austria
A problem driven meeting aimed at bioinformaticians, biochemists, statisticians and those who handle and interpret metabolomics data
When: Sept 20-23, 2017
Where: Vorau, Austria
To register and for more information, go to www.MOVISS.eu, and follow us on Twitter @MOVISSmeet
 
Not just an ordinary conference, where people present work they have already done, MOVISS is centered on identifying and problem solving current challenges relating to metabolomics data handling by getting everyone in the room discussing it. Want to be at the forefront of solving some of the major bottlenecks in the Metabolomics Revolution – see you at MOVISS!

A follow up R Summer School will be held on September 25-27, 2017 in Vorau, Austria.
12-13 Oct 2017
Quality Assurance and Quality Control in Metabolomics
Venue: Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
This two-day course will provide a comprehensive overview of the application of quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) in metabolic phenotyping. The course is aimed at students and researchers who are actively working in the field. Experts who have developed the application of QA and QC procedures within the field will lead the course. It will include both theoretical and practical components to:
  • Introduce QA and QC in metabolic phenotyping
  • The application of QA and QC in untargeted and targeted studies
  • Preparation of QCs and data acquisition
  • Data processing and reporting standards
The course will finish with a question and answer session with a panel of experts.

Bursaries are now available for PhD students funded by the BBSRC, MRC, or NERC.

For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/quality-phenotyping.aspx or contact bmtc@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
6-8 Nov 2017
Metabolomics with the Q Exactive
Venue: Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
This three-day 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 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 and using the Q Exactive mass spectrometer in your studies
  • Polar and non-polar sample preparation for profiling and targeted studies
  • 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.

Bursaries are now available for PhD students funded by the BBSRC, MRC, or NERC.

For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/q-exactive.aspx or contact bmtc@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
1 Dec 2017
Introduction to Metabolomics for the Clinical Scientist
Venue: Birmingham Metabolomics Training Centre, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
This one-day course in partnership with the Phenome Centre Birmingham will provide clinicians with an overview of the metabolomics pipeline, highlighting the benefits of the technique to the medical field. The course will provide an:
  • Introduction to experimental design and sample collection
  • An overview of both the analytical and computational methods applied in the field
  • Case studies and panel discussions with the experts
Bursaries are now available for PhD students funded by the BBSRC, MRC, or NERC.

For further information and registrations details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/introduction-metabolomics.aspx or contact bmtc@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
6-8 Dec 2017
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 3-day course will provide a comprehensive overview of dealing with complex biological samples for LC-MS analysis. The course is targeted towards students and researchers who are actively applying metabolomics in their research. The course will be led by experts in the field and include:
  • An overview of 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 clean up methods
  • An overview of data analysis and metabolite identification
  • An opportunity to ask questions and seek advice to prepare samples in your own research
Bursaries are now available for PhD students funded by the BBSRC, MRC, or NERC.

For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/sample-analysis.aspx or contact bmtc@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
11-13 Dec 2017
MetaboMeeting 2017
Venue: University of Birmingham, UK
Make plans to attend the 10th successful MetaboMeeting conference. The meeting will bring together research scientists and practitioners from all areas of application and development of metabolic profiling, covering a wide range of experience from early career scientists to experts from throughout the international metabolomics field. MetaboMeeting 2017 continues to highlight the work of its attendees through both oral platform presentation and poster sessions.
The deadline for oral presentation abstracts is 15th July 2017.
The deadline for poster abstracts is 1st October 2017.

For further information, visit http://metabomeeting2017.thempf.org/.
14-15 Dec 2017
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 hands-on approach to teach the latest techniques and tools available to perform metabolite identification. We will apply these tools on the Q Exactive and LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometry family. The course is targeted towards students and researchers who are actively applying metabolomics.

The course will be led by experts in the field and include significant hands-on experience using both the Q Exactive and LTQ Orbitrap instruments to perform:
  • Data dependent acquisition
  • Data independent acquisition
  • MS/MS and MSn data acquisition
The course will finish with a session on the tips and tricks from the experts and an opportunity to ask questions.

Bursaries are now available for PhD students funded by the BBSRC, MRC, or NERC.

For further information and registration details, please visit http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/metabolomics-training-centre/courses/metabolite-identification.aspx or contact bmtc@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

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
Scientist (Bioinformatics) - (1700487) 
International Agency for Research on Cancer Lyons, France 25-Apr-2017 17-May-2017
International Agency for Research on Cancer
Postdoctoral Researcher in Applying Metabolomics to Characterize the Exposome
 Gunma University Initiative for Advanced Research
 Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
 12-Apr-2017
 31-May-2017 Gunma University Initiative for Advanced Research
Tenure-track position in Metabolomics
University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
 4-Apr-2017 31-May-2017
 University of Alberta
PhD open position: Development of non targeted profiling approaches for the detection of emerging chemical hazards: application to the identification of new internal exposure markers in humans to support biomonitoring and environmental health studies Laberca Nantes, France 27-Mar-2017
Laberca


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.

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