From Consortia to Recombinants: opportunities and challenges facing the next generation of microbials
Posted 24th August 2020 by Liv Sewell
In this blog post I will discuss two themes that I see driving the next generation of live microbe biologicals for agriculture. These are the rational design and delivery of pairs or consortia (which I will define as more than two microbes) and the commercialization of engineered strains.
The Development of New Therapies in Skin Microbiome: The Ultimate Reward
Posted 19th October 2018 by Jane Williams
We spoke to Lindsay Kalan, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison about wound healing, the similarities between gut and skin microbiome and what the future holds for the development of new therapies.
Targeting C. difficile Infection with Next-Generation Probiotics
Posted 7th September 2018 by Jane Williams
Antibiotic use can disrupt your body’s protective microbial barrier and open the door to pathogens and illness. Our research focuses on developing next-generation probiotics that would selectively prevent infection by the bacterium Clostridium difficile, a gastrointestinal pathogen that produces toxins resulting in watery diarrhoea and in severe cases, pseudomembrane colitis, toxemia, sepsis and death.
The Updated List of Microbiome Companies and Investors
Posted 27th June 2018 by Jane Williams
The microbiome market has gone from strength-to-strength and is expected to grow from $289.411 million to $635.829 million by 2022. The major factors responsible for market growth include:
- Increased risk of gut, autoimmune, inflammatory bowel, and skin health diseases
- Lifestyle changes (eg. diet)
- Ageing population
Genes, Food and the Environment
Posted 18th June 2018 by Jane Williams
This article was originally published in Health Europa Quarterly on 3 May 2018, and is published here with permission.
Speaking at the 5th Microbiome R&D & Business Collaboration Forum: Europe, Alexandra Zhernakova, Associate Professor of the Human Genome and Exposome at the University of Groningen, outlined her research into the interaction of genes, food, and the environment with the gut microbiome. She also considered the role of the microbiome in gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The Rise of Allergies: Key findings from the 5th Microbiome R&D and Business Collaboration Forum
Posted 11th June 2018 by Jane Williams
The human microbiome term refers to microbial communities living in symbiosis in different organs in our bodies. Our intestines, mouth, nostrils, skin, sexual organs, and others profit from this lively win-win collaboration. In recent years, the scientific community has tried to understand these ‘invisible’ associations and their impact on people’s health. It appears, for instance, that if the intestinal bugs aren’t there in quite the right proportions, this imbalance may favour obesity, allergies, gut disorders or even diabetes – and this list is far from exhaustive. Overall, scientists agree that bacterial diversity is a key parameter in a healthy microbiome.
The Microbiome Represents a Paradigm Shift for European Pharmaceutical Regulators
Posted 16th February 2018 by Jane Williams
Recent microbiome research has demonstrated the important role that these communities of microorganisms play on human homeostasis. The gut microbiome is being thoroughly studied, and other microbiomes are now becoming the focus of greater attention, as well as other organs of the host, due to the concept of ‘axes,’ such as the gut-brain axis, gut-lung axis, gut-liver axis.
Microbes: a tiny but powerful tool
Posted 2nd November 2016 by Jane Williams
Crop yield gains over the last century largely resulted from advancements in biotechnology, coupled with extensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. But what if we could increase crop yields while reducing our dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides?