A new way to study omega fatty acids

Omega fatty acids are important to human health, including their role in metabolizing fats. Deviations in their position in a fatty acid chain can signal enzyme malfunctions or pathological metabolic processes, such as those occurring in cancer and autoimmune disorders. Now, researchers from UC San Diego and the University of Graz (Austria) have presented a new computational method to determine omega positions of lipids — the scientific term for fats — in complex biological samples including human tissues and blood.

Until now, the identification of omega positions of intact lipids has been challenging in complex biological samples. Only a few research groups worldwide had access to the required specialized analytical tools, but this new computational method will give researchers worldwide access to this information, with the potential to significantly advance lipid research. This new method is also more sensitive than prior approaches, making omega position information accessible even for lipids in very low concentrations.