Executive Summary

Objective 3: To define a strategy for metabolomics research, using lipidomics as example

Lipidomics was subdivided into three areas of development: i) technology, ii) cell biology, and iii) health. Experts in these areas were to be joined in a series of workshops to define where these areas would gain most from a European collaboration and what direction of research would most likely bring breakthroughs. The topic of lipid rafts would be taken as a theoretical test case to define the kinds of experimental data that can be generated by high-throughput approaches in this field, and to determine how these data sets could be most useful for medical application.

Objective 4: To initiate an Expertise Platform on Lipidomics

As a first step to fully mobilize the field, an awareness of the strength and expertise was to be created. Via a survey of expertise, to be published on the web and via a specific workshop on Lipidomics and Technology, a virtual Expertise Platform would be initiated and linked to the Euro Fed Lipids organization. It was to become a test centre for bench marking of new Lipidomics technology.

Objective 5: To hold both science-related as well as policy meetings

A series of scientific and strategic meetings had to be organised. (a) Workshops with a focus on technology and terminology, on basic science and on medical applications of metabolomics and of lipidomics in particular. (b) Networking meetings and applications meetings should join academic scientists across the life sciences, clinical laboratory scientists, clinicians and industrial representatives. (c) The concluding conference should be open to policy makers as well as the above mentioned representatives, and specific round tables were to be organized for this purpose.