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Project Leader
Santosh Lall
Phone: 902-426-6272
Fax: 902-426-9413
Email: Santosh.Lall@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Development of an Advanced Lipid Profiling Platform for Bioactive Lipids
The marine environment represents a largely untapped reservoir of novel and valuable bioactive compounds including lipids and lipid-soluble substance such as fatty acids, carotenoid pigments, fat-soluble vitamins (e.g. tocopherols), terpenes, saponins, sterols, and glycolipids. Because of their essentiality in the human diet and their preventive role in cardiovascular disease and other health benefits, marine long-chained polyunsaturated fatty acids fatty acids (LCPUFA), specifically, docosahexaenoic acid [DHA, 22:6(n-3)] and eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA, 20:5(n-3)], are an area of intense research. IMB has already launched projects to offer significant analytical contributions to marine LCPUFA research for industrial partners in the local cluster.
In comparison with LCPUFA, the other natural lipids in marine sources have received much less attention and they may also represent important bioactives for human health. Therefore, a key focus is on these other lipid and lipid-soluble substances, derived from marine algae, their identification, quantification and potential health benefits. We are developing advanced methodologies that will comprise an analytical platform for analysis of lipid components in algal samples. This will be an important tool in identifying novel lipid compounds with therapeutic properties. The lipid analytical platform will greatly strengthen the ability to rigorously analyze complex lipid extracts, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and to define them in the manner necessary for IMB to move forward with lead disclosures that will attract the interest of industry partners.
