#lipidomics

Meet Christelle Ancajas, organic chemist

1) What do you do?

I’m what you call a “synthetic organic chemist in training” since I’m currently a third-year PhD student in Chemistry. Research in our group includes the design of liposome systems for drug delivery applications and the synthesis of lipid probes for elucidating biological activities.

In my work, I design, synthesize, and characterize unnatural lipid substrates that can be fed to live cells to produce chemically functionalized versions of important lipids. I then perform various techniques to detect the abundance and localization of labeled lipid products using fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence-based thin layer chromatography, flow cytometry, and lipidomic mass spectrometry.

This research is important because certain lipid classes play important regulatory roles or are important biomarkers. While many detection methods are known for studying DNA, RNA, and proteins, tracking lipids is a particular challenge due to the constant interconversion between lipid species that are not directly encoded in the genome. 

This area of research is exciting, and I think it’s time for us to shift some focus to look at a different class of biomolecules. We are really interested lipid metabolic pathways and its potential use for targeted delivery of drugs. Protein-lipid interactions is also a big area to explore.

2) Where do you work?

I’m pursuing my PhD in Chemistry at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville under the guidance of Dr. MIchael Best. I do most of my research in a typical synthetic organic chemistry lab and also spend hours conducting studies at other departments such as in a microbiology lab and an advanced microscopy-imaging center on campus. 

Outside of research labs, you may find me in organic chemistry teaching labs or proctoring exams in lecture halls depending on the semester or assigned class for TA (teaching assistant) work. 

 3) Tell us about the photos!

[Left:] Selfie with my hood- where all the cooking happens (top). I spend hours and hours using the confocal microscope (bottom). 

[Right:] Selfie with my amazing labmates while at the neighboring Oak Ridge National Lab (top). Joined Bachata team and got to perform at a stage for the first time right before the pandemic hit in 2019 (bottom). 

4) Tell us about your academic career path so far. 

Elementary: Visayan Nazarene Bible College in Cebu, Philippines (2008) I was born to a dedicated field engineer (my father) and a passionate chemistry teacher (my mom). 

High School: Bluestone High School and Governor’s School of Southside Virginia (2010-2014)

College: B.S. Chemistry at Randolph-Macon College (2014 - 2017) During my undergrad years, I was fortunate to conduct awesome research in two separate labs. While I spent most of my senior year working through a glove box (physical organic chemistry), I had a short research stint that involved cellular microscopy techniques as well as working with mice (cell biology). I graduated in 2017 before taking a gap year to complete my graduate program applications.  

Current: Ph.D in Chemistry – Candidacy stage (2018 - present)

5) Anything else you’d like to share?

Outside of research, I have very diverse interests- mirroring the very nature of my research (Think jack of all trades, master of none if you recall the various areas of my work: organic synthesis, lipidomics, imaging, cell culture…)

For one, I love dancing as much as I love science. Play any type of music and you’ll see my foot tapping away. Particularly though, I enjoy social dancing (bachata and salsa). Second, I’m a language enthusiast. If time allows, I watch TV shows and podcasts in Spanish. Although first language attrition will never happen to me kay mag binisaya man gihapon ko pirmi (because I constantly still speak Bisaya), I try to listen to as much OPM as I can so I don’t lose touch with my Tagalog. I’m also a bigtime fangirl and love me a boyband with good harmonies. Some of my favorite bands are SB19, SHINee, and CNCO. All in all, these interests are part of my identity as a #PinoyScientist.

Lastly, for fellow scientists out there, research is humbling, and we encounter failures every day. But we do what we do because we love it! However, making mistakes over and over again and failed experiments day in and day out can be taxing to your motivation, self-confidence, and how you value yourself. It’s very easy to get your self-worth mixed up with your productivity level. The pursuit for knowledge and discovery is definitely not easy and motivation comes in waves. So, hang on to the extracurricular things outside of research- those little passions that bring you joy and light you up. 

Metware Biotechnology uses Widely Targeted Metabolomics technology to build a database specific for plant lipids and performs qualitative analysis from the mass spectrometry data of many biological materials, followed by absolute quantification using QqQ and  MRM to provide a comprehensive analysis of lipids in plant samples. This process is applicable to many plant research questions in growth and development as well as stress response.

 Technology Introduction of Quantitative Lipidomics Service for Plants

A class of organic compounds known as lipids are easily soluble in non-polar solvents but insoluble in water. The lipidome, as a subtype of metabolome, focuses on annotating and quantifying lipids in samples in order to understand their functions in plant growth and development. Important cellular processes, such as material transport, energy metabolism, information transfer, and metabolic regulation, all depend on lipids. With the help of Widely Targeted Metabolomics and a specific database of more than 2500 plant lipids, our Quantitative Lipidomics Service for Plants allows high throughput analysis of plant lipids in all types of plant materials.

 https://www.metwarebio.com/quantitative-lipidomics-service-for-plants/

Integrated Network Pharmacology and Lipidomics to Reveal the Inhibitory Effect of Qingfei Oral Liquid on Excessive Autophagy in RSV-Induced Lung Inflammation. Lin, et al., Frontiers in pharmacology doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.777689.

Credit: S. Yasuda et al., Elucidation of Gut Microbiota-Associated Lipids Using LC-MS/MS and 16S rRNA Sequence Analyses, iScience, 23, 101841, (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101841

Advanced non-targeted lipidomics to elucidate the complex lipid diversity of intestinal flora

Makoto Arita, a professor at Keio University and the Team Leader of the Laboratory for Metabolomics at RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, and colleagues report on the comprehensive analysis of complex lipid metabolites produced by gut microorganisms. They developed new lipidomics technology by combining non-targeted mass spectrometry, which enables comprehensive analysis in an unbiased fashion, and feature-based molecular spectrum networking, which supports structural estimation of unknown molecules.

Employing a protocol consisting of mice treated with antibiotics, Professor Arita and his team successfully identified 985 lipid structures in feces of which approx. 24.8% appeared to be dependent on gut microbiota as judged by > 10-fold decrease in antibiotic-treated mice. Furthermore, they identified unique lipid structures directly related to gut microbiota including acyl alpha-hydroxyl fatty acid (AAHFA). Importantly, this research successfully predicted the bacterial species responsible for producing AAHFA and other unique lipids.

The results of this research are expected to contribute to the elucidation of complex lipid metabolism networks formed by the interaction between the gut microorganisms and hosts, and the discovery of new functional metabolites involved in host homeostasis and the onset of diseases.

Details of publications describing this research.

S. Yasuda et al., Elucidation of Gut Microbiota-Associated Lipids Using LC-MS/MS and 16S rRNA Sequence Analyses, iScience, 23, 101841, (2020).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101841

N. Okahashi et al., Global profiling of gut microbiota-associated lipid metabolites in antibiotic-treated mice by LC-MS/MS-based analyses, STAR Protocols, 2, 100492, (2021).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100492

Further information

RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences

Laboratory for Metabolomics

Team Leader: Makoto Arita      

News and Events 

LipoQuality: Mass spectrometry-based lipidomics to elucidate the molecular diversity of lipids in living organisms

An international collaboration led by Makoto Arita of the Laboratory for Metabolomics at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) and Keio University, has developed an innovative non-targeted lipidomics platform to clarify the structural diversity of lipids—molecules that are essential for living organisms.