Helena Fisk, Young Lipid Scientist Award winner
This year, the EuroFed congress was hosted online over 4 days with a number of parallel sessions in a diverse range of themes in lipid research. It was attended by delegates from all over the world including students, early career and established researchers, and industry representatives. There was a fantastic range of poster presentations available to view on the online platform as well as the keynote and short lectures. I was fortunate enough to present my research in the award session which was attended by nearly 90 delegates.
My research investigated inflammation in white adipose tissue in human obesity and used a range of lipid profiling techniques, so I was very interested in a number of talks within the ‘Health and Nutrition’ and ‘Lipidomics’ sessions. It was a fantastic opportunity to see the application of cutting-edge technologies in my research field, and to hear research updates from a range of researchers. There was support for student and early career researchers and it was great to see a number of shorter talks and posters included in the programme.
Some personal highlights from the health and nutrition session were the keynote lecture ‘Adipose Tissue at the Interface between Environment and Biology’ and the short talks ‘Pro-resolving Potency of SPM-enriched Oils’, ‘Effects of Dietary CLA on n-3 HUFA Score and N-acylethanolamides Biosynthesis in the Liver of Obese Zucker Rats’ and Potential Anti-inflammatory and Neuroprotective effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid and Bioactive Lipid Mediators in SARS-CoV-2 Neuroinvasion’. I found these lectures stimulating and it was exciting to hear from other researchers with an interest in these areas.
In addition to this, I was able to attend some talks more focussed on technology and the application of novel techniques in the ‘lipidomics’ session. A highlight from this session was ‘Lipidomics view on human obesity’ which gave a fascinating insight in to lipid signatures of white adipose tissue in obesity and insulin resistance.
I am extremely grateful to the SCI’s Lipids Group for their support with attending the Eurofed congress. This was a fantastic opportunity to gain further confidence in disseminating my research to a large audience and to hear from leading experts in the field. I would recommend all PhD researchers to apply for the award as it has been such an enjoyable learning experience, especially towards the final stages of my PhD where being able succinctly communicate my research was invaluable preparation for my final viva.
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