On 12 September 2024, EpiLipidNet COST Action organised its final exploitation meeting ‘Bridging Lipids and Society’ at the COST Association in Brussels, bringing together scientists and experts from the network, together with stakeholders and EU decision-makers.

Over the past four years, EpiLipidNet, a global COST Action initiative, has fostered collaborative research in lipidomics, uniting more than 450 researchers from 52 countries across six continents. The event, marking exactly one month before the project’s official end date, was a celebration of four years of excellent work in the field of lipid research both in Europe and globally. It aimed to raise awareness of the significance of lipids.

We move forward when we join our efforts. The spirit of collaboration and friendship has been fundamental to our success.”Prof. Rosário Domingues, Chair of EpiLipidNet

Prof. Rosário Domingues from the University of Aveiro, Portugal, Chair of EpiLipidNet, opened the session with a comprehensive overview of the project’s achievements, spanning 60 meetings and workshops, five major conferences, and over 50 scientific publications. She emphasised the network’s commitment to diversity, with more than 50% of participants being women.

The food industry’s role in lipid research was a focal point in talks by Prof. Domingues. She underlined the essential role of lipids in daily life and the need for advanced lipidomics in modern science.

Prof. Maria Fedorova from the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, and Vice Chair of the network, focused her presentation on the role of lipids in healthcare, particularly their potential in diagnosing diseases such as dyslipidemia, an abnormal levels of lipids in the bloodstream that may cause risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) diseases.

“What we currently measure in clinics isn’t sufficient,” she said. “Lipids can provide critical diagnostic and prognostic information and help in prevention of metabolic diseases in a cost-effective way.” She emphasised the necessity of diagnostic tools that account for biological sex and age differences in the human population. She concludes “The EpiLipidNet project is a great example of interdisciplinarity. Researchers from diverse fields come together because they genuinely enjoy working together.”

Prof. Gabriele Cruciani from Mass Analytica highlighted the future of lipidomics, focusing on the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. “The diversity of lipids far exceeds other biological molecules,” he said. Cruciani called for EU initiatives to support lipidomics research and development, especially in biomarker discovery.

“COST has been instrumental in facilitating such important work. We need this level of support to advance lipidomics,” he adds.

Domingues pointed out that the food lipidome remains largely unexplored, limiting the understanding of nutritional value. “Producers and consumers are often unaware of the lipid composition and their beneficial properties beyond total fat and fatty acids,” she said, calling for more support for research to provide science-based evidence of food nutritional and health claims, and enhance consumer education.

Dr. Francesca Giuffrida representing Société des Produits Nestlé, from Switzerland, highlighted the industry’s need for more advanced lipidomics solutions. “Alternative lipids, like those replacing animal fats, are being produced more and more often, and we need to take care to understand their full impact. It’s inspiring to see so many passionate people working on lipid science. I hope we continue to make great strides forward” Giuffrida added.

Prof. Joëlle Rüegg from Uppsala University, Sweden presented exciting developments linking lipidomics to mental health research. “In psychiatry, we mostly have symptom-based treatments with very little biology-driven diagnosis,” she stated, underscoring the need for biological fingerprints of mental health conditions and the potential importance of lipid changes. This interdisciplinary effort, she noted, is essential for improving mental health diagnosis and treatment. She adds, “Coming from the epigenomics field, I’ve learned so much about lipidomics, even though there’s still a lot to be done.”

Mathias Schroijen from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium provided updates on the ReMO COST Action (Researcher Mental Health), which focuses on the mental health of researchers. He discussed the ongoing development of an assessment tool aimed at improving well-being within the academic community. “We are working to spread the word about the ReMO initiative and develop resources that support researchers’ mental health.” Dr. Schroijen said, highlighting the importance of addressing the often-overlooked pressures researchers face in today’s competitive environment. There are close links between stress and poor eating habits, so lipids in diet and health should be an important consideration for this approach.

The event closed with a talk on the critical role of science communication. Prof. Corinne Spickett from Aston University, UK, and Dr. Miguel Leal from Science Crunchers, Portugal discussed innovative ways to engage the public in lipid science. They introduced the ‘Know Your Fats’ memory game and ‘Lipodrome’ adventure board game to participants. A tool to engage and educate adults and children. This initiative aims to illustrate these concepts through fun but educational board games for all the family.

Educational Suite The board game Lipodrome was presented at the Xperimenta 2024 event by the Lipidomics Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry of the University of Aveiro (CEM-UA). Students from a variety of backgrounds participated in this program, which allowed them to investigate the connection between dietary decisions and overall health. The game allowed players to observe how different food choices can impact our health based on the lipids they contain.

“Lipids aren’t good or bad; they are essential and have varying effects. Understanding lipids better in health and food is critical. It may be better to consider unique lipid fingerprints rather than single biomarkers.” Prof. Corinne Spickett

Miguel Leal emphasised the multiple mechanisms that are needed to reach the target communities and the essential role of science communication within the research sphere. Miguel adds, “Science communication must go beyond the basics. We need bold storytelling and more collaboration to maximize impact.”

The day ended with reflections on the accomplishments and a shared call for ongoing efforts in lipid research, collaboration, and public education, emphasising that targeted funding initiatives will be crucial to support these endeavors. Advanced lipidomic research holds considerable potential for societal benefit, but will require extensive intersectoral work spanning clinical diagnostics, healthcare practitioners, the food industry, and legislative bodies to achieve this.

Read the article Lipids are good for human health

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