Lipids in the Pharmaceutical Field

Lipids are one of four major molecular components of biological organisms, along with proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids. As a fundamental component of organisms, lipids (lipidome) are primarily known for their roles in cell membrane formation and energy storage in biological systems. Lipidomics research encompasses the profiling, identification and analysis of lipids in biological samples. Recently, this highly complex class of molecules has found its place in studies across numerous research areas. The human lipidome contains an estimated minimum of 100,000 different lipid types, and notably, there is greater lipid diversity than protein diversity. Beyond this, they are highly diverse and dynamic molecules that play important roles in many cellular processes such as cell signaling, adhesion, migration and neurotransmission. For this reason, lipid biology is increasingly being positioned in studies, particularly in medical and pharmaceutical research.

Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research

Vaccine adjuvants utilizing heterogeneous monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) derived from Salmonella minnesota R595 have been proven to be safe and effective in inducing Th-1 type immune responses to heterologous proteins in animal and human vaccines. With the introduction of synthetic MPL derivatives and adjuvant systems, Avanti® Polar Lipids has revolutionized immunotherapy and vaccine development. At the same time, we also offer multiple Avanti® MPL analogues, which contain a single molecular species of MPL that is as effective and safe as pioneer natural products in inducing immune responses. The adjuvants PHAD®, 3D-PHAD®, and 3D(6A)-PHAD® have been comprehensively tested on animals using various antigens. In each case, these adjuvants exhibit an activity and safety profile similar to bacteria-based/derived MPL.

Lipidomics Research

Significant advances are being made in lipidomics research! How many different disease types exist in the world? How can we find treatments for these disease types? We may not be able to do this for all of them, but we can develop better treatments. Scientific and technological advances make it easier to understand the causes of diseases and physiological processes and how the molecular and biochemical aspects of lipids play a role. Thanks to the promising application of lipidomics research to identify and measure lipids as disease biomarkers, lipidomics research has made significant progress in recent years. Moreover, lipids are being successfully used in pharmaceutical products to treat diseases. Cancer is a disease affecting millions of people each year. Lipidomics research is advancing cancer research, treatments and immunotherapy approaches. Changes in cellular signaling pathways and regulatory mechanisms have been linked to cancer development. Precise detection of variations in pathophysiological conditions in cells is crucial to providing effective and personalized cancer-targeting treatments. Cell membranes are ideal biomimetic nano-carriers for anticancer drugs. Additionally, the host immune system can be activated to effectively kill cancer cells. Smart nano-materials can be designed to achieve simultaneous cancer radiosensitization and precise anti-angiogenesis by encapsulating nanoparticles with cell membranes. This lipidomics research contributes significantly to advancing our understanding of human disease and leading to new drug targets and treatments. Avanti provides a wide range of high-quality lipids that can be used as standard in lipidomics studies. As Merck, we are providing you with Avanti® Polar Lipids research products in Turkey.

These advanced lipidominomics, adjuvants and equipment products are manufactured by Polar Lipids and bear the Avanti® label. Through our business partnership, we deliver to you the Avanti® purity in first-class and highest-quality research lipids combined with our specialized product support.

• Phospholipids
• Natural and synthetic lipids Sphingolipids
• Sterols
• Fluorescent lipids Detergents Lipidomics
• Bioactive lipids
• Fatty acid modified lipids Headgroup modified lipids
• Coenzyme A and derivatives
• Stable isotopes and ESR probes
• Polymers and polymerizable lipids
• Cationic lipids (transfection)
• Neutral lipids
• Aurora® gold probes

  Lipids have been subjects of studies as pharmaceutical excipients including the production, use and comparison of properties of natural and synthetic phospholipids, mass spectrometry-based lipidomics and application of lipids in pharmaceutical research, high-performance thin-layer chromatography-based lipidomics, lipid-based nanomaterials, supraparticles and chiral-specific interactions between lipids.

References: Shevchenko A., Simons K. (2010) Lipidomics: coming to grips with lipid diversity. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 11:593–598 Ekroos K. (2021) Leaving the Wild West Era of Lipidomics. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology from Wiley, 2:7-10 Anderson A. (2020) Lipidomics. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology from Wiley, 1:3