Integral membrane proteins (IMPs) are encoded by 20-30 % of genes in a genome and provide key functions in the cell. Due to their hydrophobic nature, they are structurally and biochemically difficult to study. Traditionally, IMPs have been extracted using detergents which are a poor mimic of the lipid membrane and have been shown to denature membrane proteins. However, newly developed lipid-nanodisc approaches enable structural and functional studies of IMPs in a detergent-free, near-native membrane environment. Therefore, a central theme of this workshop is highlighting the importance of lipids in MP research and how they can be preserved.