LipidCore Facility
At the LipidCore Facility, we are dedicated to providing access to advanced lipidomic technology at the Medical University of Innsbruck.
Our mission is to help researchers to uncover the complex roles of lipids in health and disease. By combining the newest technology with scientific expertise, we generate high-quality data that drives discovery and deepens mechanistic understanding.
The LipidCore Facility of the Medical University of Innsbruck is a shared facility hosted by the Biochemical Genetics Laboratory at the Institute of Human Genetics.
We look forward to supporting your projects and advancing lipid research together!
Team
Assoz.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Markus A. Keller
Coordinator
email: markus.keller@i-med.ac.at
phone: +43 512 9003 70550
Yvonne Wohlfarter, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
email: yvonne.wohlfarter@i-med.ac.at
phone: +43 512 9003 71470
Matthias Villunger, MSc
Technician
email: Matthias.Villunger@i-med.ac.at
phone: +43 512 9003 70552
Services
Sample processing and lipid preparation
- Standardized extraction protocols for isolating different lipid classes from various biological matrices (cells, tissues, etc.).
- Execution of lipid preparation under controlled conditions to ensure high reproducibility.
- Protein quantification for sample and data normalization using BCA and Bradford assays.
Specialized lipidomics analyses
- Cardiolipidome: Quantitative and qualitative analysis of cardiolipins, including measurement of chain lengths, degrees of saturation, and relative proportions.
- Membrane lipids: Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the following phospholipid classes:
- Phosphatidylcholines (PC)
- Phosphatidylglycerols (PG)
- Phosphatidylinositols (PI)
- Phosphatidylserines (PS)
- Phosphatidylethanolamines (PE)
- Sphingomyelins (SM)
- Ceramides (Cer)
- Neutral lipids:
- Triacylglycerides (TG)
- Diacylglycerides (DG)
Additional analyses (cell biological and microscopic methods)
- Lipid oxidation measurement using Bodipy C11.
- Analysis of the mitochondrial network to assess cell health and morphological changes.
Sample submission and quotes
Medical University of Innsbruck: Directly send a request through our ticketing system: https://lipidcoreticket.i-med.ac.at (log in with your MUI credentials).
External: Describe your request in an email to: lipidcore@i-med.ac.at
Note: If this is your first time registering with the facility, you might need to klick on the link again after the initial registration is complete to access the portal.
Sample handling information
Download Sample submission handbook
Methods and resources
Protocol references
Oemer, G., Lackner, K., Muigg, K., Krumschnabel, G., Watschinger, K., Sailer, S., Lindner, H., Gnaiger, E., Wortmann, S. B., Werner, E. R., Zschocke, J. & Keller, M. A. Molecular structural diversity of mitochondrial cardiolipins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 115, 4158–4163 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1719407115
Oemer, G., Koch, J., Wohlfarter, Y., Alam, M. T., Lackner, K., Sailer, S., Neumann, L., Lindner, H. H., Watschinger, K., Haltmeier, M., Werner, E. R., Zschocke, J. & Keller, M. A. Phospholipid Acyl Chain Diversity Controls the Tissue-Specific Assembly of Mitochondrial Cardiolipins. Cell Reports 30, 4281-4291.e4 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2020.02.115
Koch, J., Lackner, K., Wohlfarter, Y., Sailer, S., Zschocke, J., Werner, E. R., Watschinger, K. & Keller, M. A. Unequivocal mapping of molecular ether lipid species by LC-MS/MS in plasmalogen-deficient mice. Analytical Chemistry (2020) https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.0c01933
Wohlfarter Y., Eidelpes R., Yu R.D., Sailer S., Koch J., Karall D., Scholl-Bürgi S., Amberger A., Hillen H.S., Zschocke J., Keller M.A. Lost in promiscuity? An evolutionary and biochemical evaluation of HSD10 function in cardiolipin metabolism. Cell Mol Life Sci. (2022) Oct 22;79(11):562. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00018-022-04579-6
Wohlfarter Y., J. Hagenbuchner, U. Horzum, G. Oemer, A. Winter, M. Seifert, J. Schwärzler, J. Kokot, P. Hernansanz Agustín, V. Juric, L.F. Garcia Suoza, H. Talasz, J.A. Enríquez Domínguez, H. Farhan, T.E. Adolph, G. Weiss, J. Zschocke, & M.A. Keller, Mitochondrial cardiolipin metabolism controlled by tafazzin enables ferroptosis bioRxiv 2024.10.25.620299; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.25.620299
Koch J., Neumann L., Lackner K., Fernández-Quintero M.L., Watschinger K., Keller M.A. Benchmarking of Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry in Differentiating Plasmalogens from Other Ether Lipids in Lipidomics Experiments. Anal Chem. 2025 97(20):10578-10587. doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c06617.
Useful Websites
https://lipidomicstandards.org/
https://fatty-acylizer.lipid.at/