Jeremy Everett is the Professor of Pharmaceutical Technologies at the University of Greenwich UK and Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College. Jeremy conducts research in metabolic profiling. He is a co-discoverer of pharmacometabonomics, which is the prediction of drug effects prior to dosing via analysis of pre-dose metabolic profiles. His current work is focused on genotype – metabotype correlations in the areas of obesity and ageing and he is a co-inventor on a recently filed patent on an anti-obesogenic agent. Jeremy received his BSc and PhD in chemistry from Nottingham University, UK. He did post-doctoral studies at McMaster University and at McGill University in Canada. Jeremy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Chartered Chemist, a Member of the American Chemical Society and is an author or co-author on over 100 peer-reviewed publications and patents, with over 5,000 citations to date and an h-index of 31. 

Metabolic profiling or metabonomics is an excellent methodology for phenotyping genetically modified mice. We recently used this technology in collaboration with the group of Professor Elizabeth Shephard at UCL, to investigate the metabolic phenotype of some interesting gene knockout (KO) mice.

Fmo5 KO mice display reduced weight gain after 20 weeks and their gut microbiome is different from wildtype (WT) mice. Metabonomics detected a microbial compound in the urine of Fmo5 KO but not of WT mice. Subsequent treatment of WT mice with this compound mimicked some aspects of the Fmo5 KO mouse phenotype including reduced epididymal fat and improved plasma biochemistry. 

This talk will overview this work and cover related examples of genotype to phenotype relationships in mice.

Eino Elias Hakalehto, PhD, serves as an Adjunct Professor of Microbiological Agroecology for the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Fe is also serving as an Adjunct Professor of Biotechnical Microbe Analytics at the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio. He has participated with his R&D company, Finnoflag Oy, in more than 100 specific investigation tasks in industrial hygiene monitoring, clinical microbiology, environmental protection, diagnostics, bioprocess development, and research on probiotics. He is the principal author and editor of Alimentary Microbiome – A PMEU Approach and the series in Microbiological Hygiene (Clinical, Food, Industrial and Environmental Hygiene), and has contributed to several other high-ranked books of microbiology, biotechnology, and microbial ecology. Dr. Hakalehto has also developed research equipment and probiotic combinations for positively contributing to the health of individuals with various digestive imbalances.

During the current pandemic period, the world population has suffered from the physiological and mental conditions caused by microbial threats and infections. Specific use of new generations of modulators and probiotics could enhance the recovery from infectious diseases, autoimmunity disorders, and organ malfunctions caused by the epidemics and their long-term effects. Since the microbiological communities strive for balance, it is possible to stimulate those microbes which have beneficial effects. These deliberate prophylactic actions could help prevent such dangerous diseases as cancer or neurological illnesses, organ failures, and the recovery from them. Passive immunization with, e.g. chicken egg-yolk antibodies (IgY) or the deliberate use of peptides as antimicrobial substances could provide future means for preventing contagious diseases and other infections. The microbiome is in constant molecular communication with the human epithelial surface, humoral, neural and immunological networks. Therefore, the addition of appropriate probiotics could advance health by restoring balance, mitigating toxin formation, and boosting the natural health mechanisms of our body system. 

Degree in Medicine and Surgery (1984) at the University of Turin. Specialization in Nutrition and Dietetics (1988), University of Pavia. Level II Medical Director of the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition Clinic the Hospital of the City Health and Science of Turin from 1989. Head of the Oncology Patient secondary prevention group and Lifestyles of the Breast Unit of the Hospital of the City Health and Science of Turin. Professor of Clinical Nutrition at the School of Specialization in Surgical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turin from 2005 to 2010. Professor at the School of Specialization in Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turin from 2009. Professor of Artificial Nutrition at the Faculty of Medicine Degree in Dietetics, University of Turin from 2009. Teaching, Master of Palliative Care at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at Turin University, Master of Palliative Care since 2003. Teaching, Master of Deglutologia from 2009. Chief of cancer patients in Hospital the City Health and Science of Turin.

Author of 100 scientific paper, published and prints of Italian and foreign magazines, chapters of books, original articles.

Objective: Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed cancer in women. Increasing survival rates shifts attention to preventive strategies. Obesity and intestinal microbiota (IM) composition may be associated with BC. Mediterranean Diet (MD) proved to be protective. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of probiotics in addition to MD versus diet alone in influencing gut microbiota and metabolic profile in overweight BC survivors.

Methods: 34 BC survivor were randomized to MD for 4 months plus 1 sachet/day of probiotics (Bifidobacterium longum BB536, Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001) for the first 2 months (intervention group, n=16) or MD alone for 4 months (control group, n=18). Anthropometric and nutritional assessments, adherence to MD, compliance to physical activity and metabolic parameters dosage were performed at baseline (T0), at 2 (T2) and at 4-months (T4). IM analysis was performed at T0 and T2.

Results: After 2-months of probiotic administration the number of bacterial species (p=0.01) and the bacterial diversity assessed with the Chao1 index (p=0.004) significantly increased, no significant variations were detected after diet alone. The Bacteroidetes-/-Firmicutes ratio significantly decreased in the intervention group and increased in controls (p=0.004). Significant reductions of body weight, body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose and Homeostasis-Model Assessment Insulin-Resistance (HOMA-IR) were observed at T4 in both groups, in the intervention group also waist circumference (p=0.012), waist/hip ratio (p=0.045) and fasting insulin (p=0.017) significantly decreased.

Conclusions: Probiotics in addition to MD positively influence the gut microbiota and improve metabolic and anthropometric parameters respect to MD alone.

Dr. Kui Zhu is a professor at National Center for Veterinary Drug Safety Evaluation, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University (CAU). He obtained the Doctor degree from Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU Munich) in Germany. After that, he did his postdoc training at Duke University in the U.S. Since Sept. 2016, he moved back to China and started his research at CAU. His group mainly focuses on antibacterial target identification and antibiotic discovery to combat multi-drug resistant bacterial pathogens. In the past five years, more than 20 publications have been published in Nature Microbiology, Lancet Infectious Disease, Advanced Science and other high impact journals.

Nowadays, infections associated with multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens are increasingly paralyzing our public health systems. Due to the dilemma of antibiotic discovery and development, probiotics, as an alternative to antibiotics, have attracted intensive attention recently. Given the ability to produce endospores against harsh conditions and their ubiquitous distribution in nature, the Bacillus, owning a variety of probiotic properties, have been selected and widely applied for different purposes. First of all, Bacillus can quickly occupy the position in the intestine to compete with pathogenic bacteria, based on their large cell volumes and high affinities to the intestinal epitheliums. Furthermore, probiotic Bacillus can inhibit the growth of pathogens by consuming the limited nutrients and surplus oxygen in the gut. In addition, the secretion of diverse antibacterial substances from Bacillus can directly kill the invasive pathogens and inhibit their growth as well. Lastly, partial Bacillus are able to secrete signal molecules, organic acids, nutrients or enzymes. These metabolites can advantageously promote the intestinal mucosal barrier function, immunity, digestion in the hosts, to consequently improve their health and productivity. In conclusion, probiotic Bacillus is a promising strategy to address the dissemination of MDR pathogenic bacteria, and a potential source to discover new antibiotics circumventing antibiotic resistance.

During the passage through the gastrointestinal tract the probiotic faces the lower pH within stomach. The acid stress also is a challenge to microorganisms in the bioethanol industries because its common application to control bacterial contamination. Recently, our research group started the studies on the identification of genetic parameters of the industrial strain Lactobacillus vini JP 789 that are responsible for the tolerance to the most relevant stressing conditions in the industrial environment, such as acid stress. The results showed very clearly that two parallel mechanisms are paramount for the bacterial tolerance to HCl. First, the process of narrowing the cells wall by re-absorption some of its components, as revealed by the downregulation of biosynthesis genes and upregulation of degradation genes. The overall process turns the cell wall more resistance to enzymatic-induced lysis by lysozyme. Second, metabolic pathways are stimulated to produce metabolites that buffer the cytosol against acidification, such as deamination of amino acids to release ammonium ion. The pre-exposition to some sort of stresses sensitizes the cell to further cultivation in acidic medium, adjusted with HCl. These was observed with acid stress by HCl and, mainly, by ethanolic stress. This suggests that activation of stress tolerance mechanisms previously to the cultivation could impair the further cellular growth function in acidic medium. The combination of phenotypical and genotypical data indicated that HCl might produce a cellular response that are very similar to those induced by hydrogen peroxide, meaning that acid stress and oxidative stress could overlap its cellular response, possibly due its common cellular components damaged or by share mostly of its regulatory circuit. Preliminary tests indicated that the cell response to this stress in not dependent of the relA-dependent stringent response. The implications of the results for the development of acid tolerant probiotic species are discussed.

Dr. Marcos A. Morais Jr obtained his BSc (Biology) from the Federal University of Pernambuco and his PhD (Biochemistry/Molecular Biology) from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. He had experiences in molecular biotechnology at GBF/Germany and in industrial microbiology at TU Delft/The Netherlands. He currently lectures basic genetics, genetic engineering and metabolic engineering at the Federal University of Pernambuco. His area of interest is industrial biotechnology, including basic aspects of fermentation, quantitative physiology, genetic and metabolic engineering and functional genomics, with the aim to identify, select and improve yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. He conducts technical consultancies for companies in the biofuels, beverages and probiotics sectors and has published more than 120 papers in peer reviewed journals.

In 2006, Gaurav Kaushik, a young and dynamic first-generation entrepreneur, set out to author a legacy. Today, under his leadership Meteoric Biopharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd., with over 100 products across Enzymes, Probiotics, Nutraceuticals, Finished Formulations & Animal Healthcare, is a leading name in the biopharma landscape across the globe.

A gold medallist in Biotechnology and an astute businessman, Gaurav has been awarded the Rashtriya Udyog Ratan Award by the Council of Economic Growth & Research. He is also the recipient of the Indian Leadership Award for Industrial Development by the All-India Achievers Foundation.  

More recently, under his leadership, Meteoric Biopharma has been recognized as one of the 25 Most Valuable Biopharma Companies by CEO Magazine for its uncompromised dedication to quality and investment in the latest technology. Mr. Kaushik himself was recognized amongst the 101 Most Fabulous Health Care Leaders by ET Rise & World Health & Wellness Congress.

• In recent time, the term 'gut health' has become increasingly popular, as is evident by its more frequent use in the scientific literature.  Scientifically it has been proved that all diseases begin in the gut.
• The gastrointestinal tract / the digestive system which starts from the mouth and ends at the rectum, are collectively termed as the gut. It is important for the digestion, absorption and metabolism of food. Also thought to play important role in obesity, immune function and influencing mood. It covers multiple positive aspects of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, such as the effective digestion and absorption of food, the absence of GI illness, normal and stable intestinal microbiota, effective immune status and a state of well-being.
• Limiting dairy, red and processed meats, and refined sugars can also improve gut health. So, can getting the recommended amount of fiber—20 to 40 g a day, depending on your age and gender, adding fruits, vegetables, probiotic, whole grains, nuts and seeds to your diet, proper sleep, exercise which balance gut microflora. Which make healthy gut microbiome. Healthy gut bacteria, protect us from disease, keep inflammation low, and even promote our mental health.
• Probiotics are tiny microorganisms that deliver health benefits to their host. Our bodies rely on all sorts of microorganisms to keep things working and keep us healthy, and probiotics play a part in this. They are the good bacteria which support to maintain healthy body systems from mouth to gut, and help control harmful microorganisms like germs. At the right levels, probiotics aid digestion and improve nutrient absorption.
• Probiotics occur naturally in fermented foods and cultured milk, but you can also find manufactured probiotic supplements.

Dr. Nur A Hasan is a molecular microbiologist with decade of experience in microbial genomics, bioinformatics, microbiome, infectious disease diagnosis and public health.  Dr. Hasan is an accomplished Executive with experience in strategic development of technology innovation in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life science industries.  Dr. Hasan is the Chief Executive Officer of EzBiome Inc. Before joining EzBiome, Dr. Hasan was the Chief Scientific Officer at CosmosID and Adjunct Professor at the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland. Dr. Hasan received his Bachelor and Master’s in Microbiology, M.B.A in Marketing and Ph.D. in Genomics. In his multidisciplinary research experience, Dr. Hasan led various independent large-scale genomic, metagenomic research projects in the field of infectious communicable diseases, microbiome and biomarker discovery that resulted in multiple patents and over 100 peer-reviewed articles, 100+ abstracts and conference proceedings, and over 60 scientific presentations in national and international conferences. Dr. Hasan has professionally served at various prestigious scientific panels including WHO, ASM, NCBI and ISO, and at the Editorial Board of multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals. Currently, Dr. Hasan directs the strategic leadership and scientific functions of EzBiome Inc., a microbiome company which applies precision taxonomy discovery platform to shorten the time for discovery and development of companion diagnostics, and therapeutics biomarkers for microbiome-related diseases.

The microbial community that lives in and on us can perturb our metabolism and immunity, and thus significantly influence development of a variety of diseases and clinical outcomes. Understanding the structure and functions of these human microbiomes is the key in discovering novel biomarkers, product development, disease dynamics, evidence of utility, effects of drugs on the microbiome and vice-versa. Taxonomic classification of microbiome sequence data is, therefore, a critical component of this process. However, existing reference databases of known microbial sequences are far from comprehensive as not all microbial species are yet sampled, taxonomy and metadata of known sequences are not updated fast enough, and often contain low-quality and inaccurately labeled sequences. Furthermore, existing classification programs often assign sequences to known reference groups even if they belong to novel taxonomic groups which are absent from the reference taxonomy. Together, these can have a detrimental impact on the accuracy of taxonomic classifications, biodiversity estimates and reliability of our microbiome research. The introduction of genomics is profoundly changing current bacterial taxonomy by providing accurate methods for precise classification of taxa, inferring the phylogeny of higher taxonomic ranks as well as those at the subspecies level with high accuracy, discovering new microbial species, and even new strains of known species with novel characteristics. Precision taxonomy offers a new frontier in microbiome research while defining diseases by their underlying molecular causes to enable discovery and development of therapeutic candidates and companion diagnostics for microbiome-related diseases. The presentation will discuss the role of precision taxonomy in uncovering the data unseen by traditional microbiome analysis and demonstrates effective approaches to utilize Precision Taxonomy Discovery Platform to obtain highly confident and actionable results in microbiome analysis to shorten the time for discovery and development of microbiota-based therapeutics and companion diagnostics for microbiome-related diseases.

Lucía Diez-Gutiérrez has a degree in Biological Science by the University of Oviedo (Spain, 2012-2016). Then, she achieved a double Master´s degree in Biotechnology of Environment and Health by the University of Oviedo (Spain, 2016-2017) and a MSc Food Chain Systems by Cranfield University (United Kingdom, 2017-2018). Since 2018, she is doing her PhD thesis in Tecnalia Research & Innovation, focusing on the development of new functional foods using by-products through fermentations techniques. During this time, she has been working with probiotics trying to enhance the production of beneficial microbial metabolites known as postbiotics.

Probiotics have attracted growing interest in recent decades due to their multiple health benefits associated with the preservation of healthy gut microbiota. Currently, the metabolites produced by probiotics called postbiotics are gaining increasing importance because of their potential beneficial functions in the gastrointestinal tract, such as the protection against pathogens infections or the enhancement of the immune system. Among the postbiotic compounds, can be found vitamins, short-chain fatty acids, amino acids or bacteriocins which could operate on different organs and tissues. A Notable postbiotic is the non-proteinic amino acid gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), mainly produced by Lactic acid bacteria, such as L. brevis, L. plantarum, L. paracasei or L. rhamnosus, as a protective mechanism against acid stress situations. Therefore, some parameters like initial pH, the concentration of the precursor L-glutamate or the nutrient source, are considered essential to produce a high amount of this amino acid. Regarding the beneficial health effect, some research has highlighted the role of GABA in the prevention of neural disease (Alzheimer´s, Huntington´s or Parkinson´s), type 1 diabetes, cancer, immunological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, depression and asthma. Hence, the development of food products enriched with probiotics and GABA, that could prevent and relief the symptomatology of those diseases, is expected to increase in the future.

Sophia is a PhD student on Bioethics- Instituto de investigaciones en Bioética, UANL. Master in Health Sciences- Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Bachelor in Nutrition- UAM. Diploma courses in Statistics, Nutrition and Metabolism, Health Sciences, Nutritional coaching. Certified by Colegio Mexicano de Nutriólogos, International antropometry level 1, Professional training of low FODMAP diet by Monash Univ.  Member of national associations of Nutrition, Gastroenterology, Neurogastroenterology and Hepatology. Past job 2000- 2005 at Intensive Care Unit of Instituto Nacional de Pediatría. Current job 2005 until now at Gastroenterology department of Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán. Publications of chapters in medical books, indexed journals. National and international speaker.

Lactose intolerance is a condition with an elevated prevalence worldwide, especially in Latin American, Asian, and African countries. The aim of the present narrative review was to highlight the importance of accurately diagnosing lactose intolerance to prevent self-diagnosis that results in the unnecessary elimination of milk and dairy products from the diet and the consequent deprivation of nutrients that could be essential at certain stages of life. The pathophysiologic mechanism of deficient lactose absorption in the intestine can be primary, secondary to other enteropathies, or coexistent with other intestinal diseases with similar symptoms, such as irritable bowel syndrome, bacterial overgrowth syndrome, or celiac disease, causing confusion in relation to diagnosis and treatment. Lactose intolerance consists of a set of symptoms attributed to the consumption of milk and dairy products that are assumed to be due to deficient digestion of that disaccharide. A wide range of tests have been validated to detect deficient digestion that include blood tests, genetic mutation analyses, breath tests, and recently, a urine test, all of which are described in the present article. Nevertheless, there are few validated questionnaires for symptom evaluation and measurement, partly due to the heterogeneity of concepts and the subjectivity of each of the symptoms.

Dr. Mark JS Miller has made significant contributions as both researcher, entrepreneur and marketer in the fields of health & medicine. During his three decades as an elite biomedical researcher & Medical School Professor he has made major discoveries that has changed how we approach health, disease and wellness.

Just as he has done in academic medicine, Dr. Miller has led a path of transformative disruption in the business world.  Dr. Miller has been a successful entrepreneur, product developer, marketer, key opinion & business development leader.

Dr. Miller is a self-described historical futurist, a possibility aficionado, avid smirker & story-teller.

The devastating disease Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) remains a dominant problem for premature babies with high mortality and substantial morbidity in survivors. In the 1980’s the emphasis on causality was ischemia/reperfusion injury associated with birth asphyxia. There were several critical flaws in this concept. Firstly, the dominant age of infants in NEC was 3 weeks of age, well after birth. Secondly, this failed to account for diagnostic feature of bowel wall gas which comes with fermentation not ischemia and that nearly cases the infant has been fed. In the mid-80’s we proposed an alternative approach and successfully modeled it. This model incorporated aggressive feeding patterns where substrate delivery overwhelmed digestive capacity, poor gut motility again reflecting the premature state, opportunistic bacteria fermenting substrate to short-chained fatty acids and lowering luminal pH, and the dominance of the ileal anatomical site. In essence a triad of over-feeding an immature gut where opportunistic bacteria, in a localized setting reflecting poor motility, metabolized the substrate to gases (bowel wall CO2) and SCFA’s thereby lowering luminal pH and overwhelming defenses leading to gut necrosis, inflammation and systemic complications. Appreciating this nutrient-microbiome interaction gone astray, probiotic have found to be helpful in managing the incidence and legacy of NEC. However, without care as to the status of over-feeding, digestive capacity and motility in premature gut the problem will remain.       

Dr. Poornachandra Rao K obtained his B. Sc (Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Microbiology) from the University of Mysore and M. Sc (Microbiology) and his Ph. D (Microbiology) from the University of Mysore, Mysore, Karnataka, India. He is previously worked for VIMTA Labs, as a Scientist in Food Microbiology Department. His PhD research was based on the Screening, and characterization of potential probiotic strains from Traditional fermented foods and their application for therapeutic aspects. His area of interest is Food Microbiology, Probiotics, Product Development, and Agricultural Microbiology. He has published various papers in peer reviewed journals.

This study presents the isolation, characterization and preservative efficacy of a lantibiotic from a probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum strain MYS84. The isolate Lp strain MYS84 was identified by biochemical, physiological and genetic methods. Standard in-vitro techniques revealed the strain possess good probiotic attributes. Purification and characterization of a lantibiotic from probiotic Lp strain MYS84 is also reported. This lantibiotic (~42 kDa) was active against Pseudomanas aeruginosa-MTCC 7903 and attributed to proteinaceous and remained active on treatment with catalase, lysozyme and papain as well as heat resistant and acid stable. Further, the culture filtrate exhibited strong biofilm inhibition (78%). Significant reductions (P ≤ 0.05) in total plate counts, Coliforms, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus counts was observed in stored chicken meat (30 ± 2 °C) after treatment with lantibiotic as compared with control. The pH and accumulation of metmyoglobin in the lantibiotic treated chicken cut varied during storage and suppressed lipid peroxidation. The addition of lantibiotic as a preservative has increased the shelf life of chicken meat and the preservation was not significantly (P < 0.05) affected the sensory qualities when comparing with control. The results of the study indicate the potential of the lantibiotic as a safe and natural preservative/decontaminant for chicken meat.

Professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of São Paulo since 2015 in the discipline of Food Technology. She graduated in Pharmacy and Biochemistry from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry at Universidade Paulista (1999), holds a master's degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the Federal University of São Paulo (2002) and a PhD in Sciences from the University of São Paulo (2012). She carries out teaching and research activities as an Assistant Professor in the area of Food Technology in the Department of Biochemical Technology - Pharmaceuticals, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo since 2015. She has experience in the area of Microbiology and Immunology and in Food Science and Technology, acting on the themes: Functional Characterization of Traditional Fermented Foods and Development and Functional Characterization and Study of the Mechanism of Action of New Probiotic Products.

Lately the fermented foods are be confounding with probiotic food. Besides the fermented foods could be a probiotic food, not all of them are considered as probiotic. The role of physiologically active components of foods has changed our understanding of diet effects on human health, placing it in a prominent position. However, identifying the use efficacy is somewhat complicated since the diet promotes interference from multiple factors. Even thought, the use of traditional fermented foods still could be a good alternative therapy. Herein we shown when the traditional fermented food could be and when could not be an adjuvant for diabetes treatment.