LIPID MAPS (Lipid Metabolites and Pathways Strategy) is a web portal designed to be a gateway to Lipidomics resources. The resource has spearheaded a classification of biological lipids, dividing them into eight general categories.[1] LIPID MAPS provides standardised methodologies for mass spectrometry analysis of lipids, e.g.[2][3][4]
LIPID MAPS has been cited as evidence of a growing appreciation of the study of lipid metabolism[5] and the rapid development and standardisation of the lipidomics field [6][7]
Key LIPID MAPS resources include:
LIPID MAPS Structure Database (LMSD) - a database of structures and annotations of biologically relevant lipids,[8] containing over 48000 different lipids. The paper describing this resource has, according to PubMed, been cited more than 200 times.
LIPID MAPS In-Silico Structure Database (LMISSD) - a database of computationally predicted lipids generated by expansion of headgroups for commonly occurring lipid classes
LIPID MAPS Gene/Proteome Database (LMPD) - a database of genes and gene products which are involved in lipid metabolism[9]
Tools available from LIPID MAPS enable scientists to identify likely lipids in their samples from mass spectrometry data, a common method to analyse lipids in biological specimens. In particular, LipidFinder [10] enables analysis of MS data. Tutorials and educational material on lipids are also available at the site.[11]
In January 2020, LIPID MAPS became an ELIXIR service.[12] and in 2024 a core data resource. In addition, it joined Global Biodata Coalition as a core biodata resource.[13]
^Zheng H, Yang R, Wang Z, Wang J, Zhang J, Sun H (2020). "Characterization of pharmaceutic structured triacylglycerols by high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem high‐resolution mass spectrometry and its application to structured fat emulsion injection". Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. 34 (1): e8557. doi:10.1002/rcm.8557. PMID31429125.