A large portion of liver disease and diabetic patients suffer from skin diseases. Our understanding of the manifestation of metabolic disorders via the skin, however, is still limited. To elucidate metabolic dysfunction of skin, we are developing stratum corneum (SC) lipidomics analyses using tape stripping and mass spectrometry to provide the ability to understand skin lipid changes due to disease progression as well as facilitating non-invasive biomarker discovery.

Epilipids are involved in the central mechanism by which cells respond to genetic mutation, external perturbation, and oxidative stress. The regulatory mechanisms that control these important processes, however, are poorly defined. We develop advanced mass spectrometry-based methods and graph database model empowered bioinformatics tools to characterize epilipidome in pathogenesis of metabolic disorders and demonstrate the novel role of lipid modification in the cellular malfunction. 

Pathway-based analytical methods strive to characterize the dynamic changes in the dysregulated metabolism, such as in the glycosphingolipid biosynthesis pathway. We develop analytical methodologies tailored to biomarker discovery using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), particularly in the early diagnosis and treatment of pediatric genetic disorders, lysosomal storage diseases, and liver diseases.