A beginner’s guide to lipidomics

Lipidomics refers to the large-scale analysis of the complete set of lipids – the ‘lipidome’ – in any biological system. Methodologically, it heavily relies on mass spectrometry, an analytic technique enabling the identification and quantification of molecules in a complex sample based on slight differences in their mass and charge. Recent advances in this field have fuelled the development of novel approaches including tracer lipidomics and spatial lipidomics, allowing an unprecedented insight into this complex class of biomolecules. As lipids play numerous physiological roles and are affected in a wide range of pathologies, the study of lipids and their metabolic pathways offers great potential for biomarker discovery and for the development of novel therapeutic interventions.