The mission of the Lipidomics Shared Resource is to provide advanced methodology, state-of-the-art facilities, and expertise for both synthesis and analysis of bioactive lipids in a cost-effective manner for the Hollings Cancer Center (HCC). This shared resource also facilitates interactions among investigators, other shared facilities, and programs within the HCC as well as with other cancer research groups nationally and internationally. Under the leadership of Drs. Besim Ogretmen, Director, and Alicja Bielawska, Operations Director, the Lipidomics Shared Resource represents a unique scientific service for the measurement of bioactive lipid molecules with a particular focus on their role in cancers. The purposes of the Lipidomics Shared Resource are to: * Provide synthetic lipids, analogs, and inhibitors of lipid metabolism with an emphasis on sphingolipids. * Provide qualitative and quantitative analysis of lipid composition from biological materials with a current listing of more than 300 distinct molecular species. * Improve and develop new techniques for extended lipid analyses by providing a database of the lipid composition of normal and transformed cells and organelles that will permit a lipidomics approach to analysis of their cellular metabolism. * Develop cutting-edge synthetic molecular tools to study the role of bioactive lipids as new potential anticancer agents. * Develop lead compounds for translational studies. The Lipidomics Shared Resource's library of synthetic lipids, derivatives, and related molecules currently exceeds 600 compounds, several of which are emerging as Important inhibitors of enzymes of sphingolipid metabolism and being tested in clinical trials. * Educate and assist HCC investigators in designing and conducting experimental approaches aimed at the study of bioactive lipids, their metabolism, quantitation, and function. During the current CCSG project period, the Lipidomics Shared Resource has supported research that has resulted in 103 publications by 17 HCC investigators. It has supported 19 individual cancer grants at MUSC during the project period and an NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Lipidomics & Pathobiology (P20 RR017677, 2002-2012; P30 GM103339, 2012-2017).

The Lipidomics Shared Resource provides services leading to numerous molecular insights into tumor growth and metastasis, inflammation, and drug resistance that are catalyzing the development of cancer translational studies.