Three biobank samples from Live Research
We’re proud to share a major milestone for the Lipedema Foundation: the official launch of the LF Lipedema Biobank at this year’s Fat Disorders Resource Society (FDRS) Conference. As part of the conference, we hosted a Live Research event that brought together researchers, clinicians, and individuals living with Lipedema to support research in real time.
Over the course of the event, we collected biological samples from 74 participants—marking the very first contributions to the biobank. These samples, along with accompanying clinical data, will serve as an invaluable resource for future studies focused on understanding the potential causes, progression, and treatments for Lipedema.
Case of biobank samples from Live Research
Biobanks are tools that help scientists draw correlations between health data and biological samples. By combining biological samples with detailed data on health, symptoms, and lifestyle, scientists can reveal previously elusive connections between health factors and make useful discoveries. With this kind of resource, researchers can ask new kinds of questions—and find better answers. Since no animal model systems are available for Lipedema, a biobank of human samples is particularly important.
Launching a biobank is a complex process, and we’re grateful to the many individuals who made this possible. From the participants who generously donated their time and biosamples, to the clinicians and volunteers who ensured a smooth and respectful experience for everyone involved—this event was the result of true collaboration.
The LF Lipedema Biobank is designed to support long-term, high-impact research. This will include projects that will be led by members of the Lipedema Foundation’s science team - what we are currently calling “Foundation-initiated research” - as well as ones that will be conducted by scientists based at academic institutions. We will launch the first Foundation-initiated research projects with LF Biobank samples in the next few months. Likely early projects include plasma proteomics and immune profiling.
Also in the coming months, other scientists will be able to start applying for access to biobank samples and data. If their projects are approved for access, we will then begin preparing and distributing samples to support their work to deepen the scientific understanding of Lipedema. This is just the beginning of what we hope will become a robust, well-annotated resource that accelerates progress across the field.
The FDRS event is a fantastic beginning, but we’re really just getting started. Some of the research projects that we envision will require many more participants than we recruited in this first event. Some will need specific categories of participants (e.g., members of families with multiple diagnosed individuals), and many will require more “control” participants (i.e., those not affected by Lipedema). Still other studies will require additional sample types that are not yet in the Biobank, like fat biopsies, lipoaspirate, and even saliva or stool.
So while we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us to empower the scientific community to make blockbuster discoveries, we’re off to a great start.
As we continue to build out the Biobank, we’ll be sharing regular updates. From scientific highlights to behind-the-scenes looks at the biobanking process, we’re committed to keeping the Lipedema community informed and engaged.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this launch a success—we’re looking forward to what comes next.
The LF team ready for our first biobank participant!