About us

LIPID Metabolites And Pathways Strategy (LIPID MAPS®) is a multi-institutional supported website and database that provides access to a large number of globally used lipidomics resources. LIPID MAPS® has internationally led the field of lipid curation, classification, and nomenclature since 2003. We strive to produce new open-access databases, informatics tools and lipidomics-focused training activities will be generated and made publicly available for researchers studying lipids in health and disease.

LIPID MAPS® Lipidomics Gateway was created in 2003 via an NIH “Glue Grant” to provide access to lipid nomenclature, databases, tools, protocols, standards, tutorials, meetings, publications, and other resources to serve the international lipid research community.

LIPID MAPS® was previously funded by a multi-institutional grant from Wellcome and is now funded under an MRC Partnership award, held jointly by Cardiff University, University of California San Diego, the Babraham Institute Cambridge, Swansea University, and The University of Edinburgh.

This current phase will see that LIPID MAPS® is maintained and importantly, further developed in line with the global demand and development of lipidomics. LIPID MAPS® has an internationally recognized classification system and the largest curated lipid structure database in the world.

LIPID MAPS® supports researchers to conduct integrative systems-level analyses of lipidomics in physiology and pathophysiology.

What do we do?

Interoperability standards and ontologies

Data Preservation & Sustainability

Groups & Boards

Operational and Management Group

The operational and management group considers and oversees all matters related to the routine management and maintenance of the LIPID MAPS® website, database and resource.

Valerie O’Donnell (Chair), Cardiff University, UK Robert Andrews, Cardiff University, UK
Matthew Conroy, Cardiff University, UK
Lauren Cockayne, Cardiff University, UK
Chetin Baloglu, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK
Simon Andrews, Babraham Institute Cambridge, UK
Edward Dennis, University of California San Diego, USA
Eoin Fahy, University of California San Diego, USA
Shankar Subramaniam, University of California San Diego, USA
William Griffiths, Swansea University, UK
Andrea Lopez, Babraham Institute Cambridge, UK
Ruth Andrew, The University of Edinburgh, UK
Dominic Campopiano, The University of Edinburgh, UK
Maria Fedorova, TU Dresden, Germany

Scientific Advisory Board

The Scientific Advisory Board is an international and independent board, providing expert advice and guidance to all matters relating to LIPID MAPS®.

Peter Meikle, Baker Institute, Melbourne
Anna Nicolaou, University of Manchester, UK
Cathy Costello, Boston University, USA
Makoto Arita, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Tokyo
Michal Holcapek, University of Pardubice, Czech Republic
Sameer Velankar, Team Lead, PDBe, European Bioinformatics Institute, UK

Nomenclature Group

The Nomenclature Group monitors and expands the LIPID MAPS® lipid classification, nomenclature, and structure drawing guidelines as appropriate and respond to user input and questions.

Edward Dennis (Chair), University of California San Diego, USA
Al Merrill, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Alan Brash, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, USA
Andrea Lopez, Babraham Institute Cambridge
William Griffiths, Swansea University, UK
Dominic Campopiano, The University of Edinburgh, UK
Eoin Fahy, University of California San Diego, USA
Fritz Spener, University and Medical University of Graz, Austria
Gerhard Liebisch, University of Regensburg, Germany
Junken Aoki, Tohoku University, Japan
Maria Fedorova, TU Dresden, Germany
Matthew Conroy, Cardiff University, UK
Robert Murphy, University of Colorado School of Medicine Denver, USA
Shankar Subramaniam, University of California San Diego, USA
Valerie O’Donnell, Cardiff University, UK

Partners

Kim Ekroos, Lipidomics Consulting Ltd, Finland
Egon Willighagen, Maastricht University, Netherlands
Denise Slenter, Maastricht University, Netherlands
Makoto Arita, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama City, Japan
Markus Wenk, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Kirk Maxey, Founder and CEO, Cayman Chemical, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Alan Bridge, Swiss Lipids, Switzerland