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On March 9, Shimadzu Corporation (Kyoto, hereinafter Shimadzu), Kyushu University (Fukuoka), and Kazusa DNA Research Institute (Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture) opened the Auto Biomolecular analysis Systematization Laboratory (ABiS Lab.) on the first floor of the Healthcare R&D Center, a research and development building at the Shimadzu Head Office. This lab will be a center for collaborative research (Project name: Intelligent Biomolecular Screening Project for Advanced Healthcare), aimed at the development of an integrated platform for lipid analysis. Shimadzu high-performance liquid chromatograph mass spectrometers (LC-MS) and supercritical fluid chromatograph mass spectrometers (SFC-MS) are installed in ABiS Lab. Using ABiS Lab., the three parties will develop the analytical conditions, pretreatment procedures, standard samples, and measurement data analysis systems necessary for setting integrated standards in lipid data acquisition and analysis, aiming to complete the platform to integrate them.

Triglycerides, cholesterol, and other lipids are now of interest because of their relationship to health promotion and various diseases, heightening the necessity for accurate measurement data. However, lipids have limited water solubility, and their extraction from living organisms and analysis are difficult, which tends to cause significant differences in measured data sets between institutions. As a result, the accumulation of lipid measurement data and its mutual use between institutions remain limited, and the lipid measurement data has yet to be fully utilized in industrial context, which is a problem. The next-generation integrated platform for lipid analysis being developed through this collaborative research is intended to provide an analytical environment to facilitate mutual use of data between institutions.

Utilizing their knowledge as users of LC-MS and other analytical instruments, Kyushu University and Kazusa DNA Research Institute will propose new analytical methods, and suggest improvements to instruments and data analysis systems. Shimadzu will support the development of this platform by developing automatic pretreatment instruments in the context of developing analytical conditions and pretreatment procedures, and be responsible for improvements to mass spectrometers in the development of measurement data analysis systems.

Through collaborative research, these three parties will establish comprehensive, high-accuracy lipid related measurement techniques and create a highly reliable database. In this way, they are aiming to promote the development of pharmaceuticals and functionally-enhanced food products, and contribute to the early prevention of diseases and longer healthy life expectancy. Additionally, by utilizing the expertise obtained through this research and development, applications to the analysis of biological samples other than lipids that are related to human health will be implemented.

Project Name: Intelligent Biomolecular Screening Project for Advanced Healthcare
Project Representatives:
Takeshi Bamba, Professor, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University
Kazutaka Ikeda, Group Leader, Laboratory of Biomolecular Analysis, Kazusa DNA Research Institute
Yoshihiro Hayakawa, Deputy Center Manager, Solutions Center of Excellence, Analytical & Measuring Instruments Division, Shimadzu Corporation
Lab Name: Auto Biomolecular analysis Systematization Laboratory (ABiS Lab.)

The Newly Opened ABiS Lab.
(Left: SFC-LCMS-8060NX supercritical fluid chromatograph mass spectrometer; Right: LCMS-8060NX high-performance liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer)