iotaSciences, an Oxford-based leader in single-cell biology handling solutions has published validation work related to the use of its isoPick Single-Cell Picking Platform for an automated and accessible microfluidic workflow for single-cell lipidomics. 
 
The publication in Analytical Chemistry by researchers at the University of Surrey SEISMIC facility (UK) marks the first report of a novel, accessible, and high-throughput way to obtain single-cell lipid profiles.
 
Lipids play crucial roles in various biological processes, including cell membrane structure, signaling pathways, energy storage, and metabolism. As such, lipidomics has emerged as a vital field in modern biology and medicine with a particular focus on single-cell analysis capabilities to fully understand heterogeneity present within a cell population. Understanding differences and changes in cell lipid profiles is important in particular for the treatment of infectious diseases, allergies and cancer.
 
Professor Melanie Bailey from the department of Chemistry at the University of Surrey said: “We have been very pleased with the continued progress from our collaborative efforts with iotaSciences since we reported on first encouraging results related to the isoPick instrument over a year ago. We now have in hand an automated and easily accessible workflow for investigating cellular lipid metabolism at the single-cell level, thereby advancing our understanding of lipid-related diseases and facilitating the development of targeted therapeutic interventions.”
 
“We are thrilled to have been able to contribute to this important methodology development publication in Analytical Chemistry,” commented Dr. Michael Lutz, CEO at iotaSciences. “We are eagerly excited to further help the field of single-cell lipidomics to evolve by providing the first of its kind Single-Cell Picking Platform, allowing automation and high-throughput handling with an easy-to-use end-to-end cell isolation solution.”