Faster, more accurate tests to measure lipids in tissues
Increasing the Coverage, Sensitivity and Specificity of Rapid Lipidomic Measurements
This project aims to build quicker, more sensitive lab methods to detect many different fats (lipids) in tissue samples to help researchers and clinicians studying diseases like cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11175360 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team will combine advanced mass spectrometry techniques (including ion mobility, ion-molecule reactions, and specialized fragmentation) with faster separations to find and identify many thousands of lipid molecules. They will work to distinguish very similar lipids that have the same mass but different structures and to map where specific lipids are located within tissues and tumors. Methods will be optimized for speed, sensitivity, and the ability to work on small biopsy or tissue samples. The approach is designed so these improved measurements could be applied to human tumor samples and other patient tissues.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be patients who can provide biopsy or surgical tissue samples (for example tumor tissue) for research analysis at the study site or a collaborating lab.
Not a fit: Patients who cannot or do not want to donate tissue samples, or whose care does not involve tissue-based testing, are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could let researchers and doctors detect disease-relevant lipid changes more accurately and quickly, which may improve diagnosis, treatment choices, and understanding of cancer biology.
How similar studies have performed: Related high-resolution mass-spectrometry and ion-mobility methods have improved lipid detection in research settings, but combining them for rapid, comprehensive, spatially resolved lipid mapping is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Baker, Erin S — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Baker, Erin S
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.