The joint conference and workshop was arranged by the Umeå University Library in collaboration with the Swedish Metabolomics Centre (SMC), Swedish Mass Spectrometry Society (SMSS) which is part of the Swedish Chemical Society, and SciLifeLab.
NEWS On March 19–20, researchers and companies gathered at Umeå University for the workshop and conference “Current Trends in Applied Mass Spectrometry”. One of the highlights was the Open Science session, which introduced the FAIR data principles and provided hands-on guidance on how to share metabolomics data in an accessible way.
Open Science workshop during the conference “Current Trends in Applied Mass Spectrometry”, where researchers got hand-on experience using the public database MetaboLights.
ImageRebecca ForsbergMass spectrometry is a key analytical technique in metabolomics research, allowing scientists to identify and quantify small molecules – metabolites – found in biological samples. Metabolomics plays a crucial role in understanding biochemical processes in organisms and ecosystems. It has broad applications, from diagnosing diseases and studying human health to improving crop resilience.
As metabolomics datasets grow in size and complexity, Open Science practices are becoming essential. Research data, and other research outputs, are no longer only the underlying material that supports the results of scientific manuscripts but valuable outputs on their own that can be made accessible in trusted repositories and cited. As such, Open Science has changed scholarly publishing for good, promoting transparency, collaboration, and accessibility in research, ensuring that valuable datasets become available to more than one lab.
To maximize the impact of metabolomics research, data needs to be well-organised, shareable, and reusable across studies. This is where the FAIR data principles – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable – come in. A FAIR-compliant dataset might include metadata such as organism, tissue type, and analytical method used, allowing others to re-analyse or compare it with their own work.
Open Science workshop on MetaboLights
ImageRebecca ForsbergThe Open Science session was organised by Umeå University Library, Swedish Metabolomics Centre, SMC and Swedish Mass Spectrometry Society, SMSS, in collaboration with EMBL-EBI, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory – European Bioinformatics Institute. The instructors introduced Open Science and guided the participants through how to apply the FAIR principles to create high quality metadata for MetaboLights, a public repository for metabolomics data.
The session featured both online and on-site instructors, including Noemi Tejera and Ozgur Yurekten from EMBL-EBI, as well as Annika Johansson, Head of unit, SMC, and Theresa Kieselbach, Umeå University Library. Through hands-on exercises, participants worked in pairs to get experience with the MetaboLights submission process, including standardised formats and controlled vocabularies.
Theresa Kieselbach is very grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the MetaboLights team and was delighted that experts from EMBL-EBI could join and and share their expertise with the participants of this workshop.
Katie Bennett, scientific coordinator for the Computational Metabolomics Group in Umeå, highlighted the workshop’s importance: “I found it very useful, as tools such as MetaboLights are becoming increasingly important for advancing metabolomics research and ensuring open, FAIR data sharing. Understanding these resources helps us better support researchers in computational metabolomics.”
Dr. Kate Bennett (CASP) and Dr. Ilona Dudka (Swedish NMR Centre), combining expertise and working together as part of the Computational Metabolomics Group, SciLifeLab.
ImageAnna ShevtsovaBy equipping researchers with the tools to navigate Open Science requirements, the workshop strengthened the foundation for more transparent and impactful metabolomics research – helping scientists turn complex biochemical data into lasting, citable contributions to science.
The joint conference and workshop was arranged by the Umeå University Library in collaboration with the Swedish Metabolomics Centre (SMC), Swedish Mass Spectrometry Society (SMSS) which is part of the Swedish Chemical Society, and SciLifeLab.
Still not sure what metabolomics is and its role in science? Check out this UCMR blogpost from Katie Bennett!