'Dialing in the lipidome' for human health, environmental sustainability
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EmailDecades of cutting-edge research at MSU on lipids - small, naturally occurring molecules that make up oils, fats and waxes - has scientists excited about recent advancements and the untapped potential of these microscopic workhorses.
In the ongoing quest for healthier lifestyles and environmental sustainability, one of the biggest solutions might also be one of the tiniest. Decades of cutting-edge research at Michigan State University (MSU) on lipids – small, naturally occurring molecules that make up oils, fats and waxes – has scientists excited about recent advancements and the untapped potential of these microscopic workhorses.
“There’s a long history of plant lipid research at MSU,” said MSU Foundation Professor and MSU AgBioResearch scientist Christoph Benning, director of MSU’s Plant Research Laboratory. “But it takes a long time to do – often 20 years or more – for some of our recent advancements. We hope we can accelerate our progress through basic research.”
In an invited contribution to a special issue of Science Magazine, Benning and MSU biochemist Patrick Horn highlight recent advancements in lipid research at MSU and beyond – work that could have wide-ranging applications in both human wellbeing and environmental sustainability.
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