The opening of each ICBL includes already a highlight of the conference, the van Deenen Lecture. This plenary lecture is held at the memory of Laurens L. M. van Deenen (1928-1994), a worldwide highly respected Dutch pioneer of lipid research.
L. L. M. van Deenen studied chemistry at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, and received his PhD in 1957. During the following years, he organized his own research team and became professor of biochemistry. Combining analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, lipid biochemistry and membrane biology led to groundbreaking scientific findings which set the stage for future generations of lipidologists. L. L. M. van Deenen is author of numerous highly ranked publications, received many awards and was very active as editor for several journals.
Each year, ICBL offers the van Deenen Lecture to a lipid researcher for outstanding and long-term contributions to the field. These lectures are not only a tribute to the awardees, but also stimulation and motivation for all colleagues to devote their scientific efforts to lipid research.
2022: Christine Des Rosiers Montreal, Canada "Enhancing disease mechanism and biomarker discovery in humans using untargeted comprehensive plasma lipidomics"
2020/2021: Carsten Schultz, Portland, Oregon, USA “Chemical tools for lipid biology”
2019: Prof. Keizo Inoue, Tokyo, Japan “Dynamic properties and metabolism of membrane lipids”
2018: Rosalind Coleman, Chapel Hill, USA "Compartmentalization of fatty acid metabolism and lipid pathways"
2016: Charles Serhan, Boston, USA "Resolving Inflammation in the 21st Century: Novel Lipid Mediators and Mechanisms"
2017: Staels, Lille, France "Circadian control of lipid metabolism and pathological consequences of clock perturbations"
2015: Robin Irvine, Cambridge, UK "Adventures with inositides: the enigma of the phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate 4-kinases”
2014: Susan Pyne, Strathclyde, UK "Spingosine-1-phosphate and Cancer"
2013: Bruce Spiegelman, Boston, USA "Transcriptional control of brown and beige fat: toward a new generation of therapeutics"
2012: Rudolf Zechner, Graz, Austria “Lipolysis: how fat catabolism affects multiple aspects of lipid and energy metabolism”
2011: Peter J. Quinn, London, UK “Lipidomics: making sense of the data lode”
2010: William Dowhan, Houston, USA “Lipid-protein interactions as determinants of Membrane Protein Structure”
2009: David Mangelsdorf, Dallas, USA "Nuclear receptors, FGFs and the regulation of nutrient metabolism"
2008: Dennis Vance, Edmonton, Canada "Phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis: Unexpected player in metabolic disease"
2007: Joachim Seelig, Basel, Switzerland “Protein meets lipid, the role of lipid in protein folding“
2006: Ben de Kruijff; Utrecht, Netherlands "Membranes, where lipids and proteins meet"
2005: Arthur A. Spector, Iowa City, IA, USA "Fatty acids and derivatives in cell function"
2004: Sampath Parthasarathy, New Orleans, LA, USA “The Oxidation Paradox in Atherosclerosis: The narrowing gap between pro- and antioxidants”
2002: Christian R.H. Raetz, Durham, NC, USA "Biochemistry of endotoxins : potent lipid activators of innate immunity"
