Annotation: Lipid metabolism plays a fundamental role in many physiological processes, and its dysregulation is associated with numerous human diseases, including cancer. Modern lipidomics based on mass spectrometry (MS), typically combined with chromatographic separation, provides powerful tools for the comprehensive and quantitative characterization of lipid profiles in biological samples.
In the first part of the lecture, recent advances in analytical methodologies developed in our laboratory will be presented. These approaches enable high-throughput quantitation of multiple lipid classes using lipid class–based separations, particularly ultrahigh-performance supercritical fluid chromatography (UHPSFC) and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). Complementary reversed-phase UHPLC/MS analysis provides additional structural information at the level of fatty acyl composition. The emphasis will be placed on the use of isotopically labeled internal standards and rigorous validation of analytical workflows to ensure robust and reliable lipid quantitation in large biomedical studies.
The second part will demonstrate biomedical applications of these methodologies for cancer biomarker discovery, with a primary focus on pancreatic cancer. The translation of quantitative lipidomic profiling into clinical practice will be illustrated using examples from larger clinical studies and through the implementation of lipidomic diagnostics for the early detection of pancreatic cancer in the spin-off company Lipidica. Finally, our hypothesis on potential mechanisms underlying the observed downregulation of sphingolipids containing very-long-chain fatty acyl groups will be presented.
Biography: Michal Holčapek obtained his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Pardubice (1999), where he currently serves as a professor of analytical chemistry. His research focuses on mass spectrometry and its coupling with liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography, particularly for lipidomics and cancer biomarker discovery. He leads an internationally recognized research group developing advanced analytical strategies for comprehensive lipidomic profiling and structural characterization of lipids. His work has contributed to the development of analytical strategies for large-scale lipid identification and quantification and to the application of lipidomics in biomedical and translational cancer research. He has published more than 170 articles in peer-reviewed journals with an h-index 52 and established numerous international collaborations with analytical and clinical research groups. He is a founding member of the Lipidomics Standards Initiative and the International Lipidomics Society. His contributions have been recognized by several awards, including the Extraordinary Jury Award of the Česká hlava competition (2024), the Rudolf Lukeš Prize from the Experientia Foundation (2023), and the Dutton Award from the American Oil Chemists’ Society (2022).
IPHYS contact: RNDr. Ondřej Kuda, Ph.D., e-mail: ondrej.kuda@fgu.cas.cz
