The Potential of Probiotics for Human Health
Posted 11th July 2018 by Jane Williams
This article was originally published in Health Europa Quarterly on 3 May 2018, and is published here with permission.
Johan van Hylckama Vlieg is the vice-president for microbiome and human health innovation at Chr. Hansen A/S, a global leading bioscience company that develops and produces cultures, enzymes, probiotics and natural colours for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.
Speaking at the 5th Microbiome R&D & Business Collaboration Forum: Europe, van Hylckama Vlieg provided a valuable insight into some of the exciting potential application areas of probiotics.
Research and business opportunities in clinical microbiomics
Posted 6th July 2018 by Jane Williams
This article was originally published in Health Europa Quarterly on 3 May 2018, and is published here with permission.
Exploring areas of research and development related to the microbiome – the collective name for the micro-organisms living in the human body – is the central topic of the annual Microbiome R&D Business Collaboration Forum. This year’s focus at the event was on business collaboration and private investment into research and development projects in the microbiome.
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.
NIZO – A Case Study: helping you create microbiome modulators
Posted 16th May 2018 by Jane Williams
Companies typically approach contract research companies with the aim to better understand single organisms, groups of organisms, metabolic pathways and the interaction with the host that make up the microbiome. In addition, companies search for compounds or modulators that could improve in the end the healthy state of the host. Such modulators could be prebiotics, probiotics, enzyme inhibitors, antimicrobials and more.
NIZO is an independent contract research company that works on proteins, bacteria and processing on behalf of their global client base in food and pharma. Their unique business model centres around performing industrially relevant research projects for the industry under strict confidentiality and with clear IP clauses.
Charting a Translational Roadmap in the Microbiome Space – A Multidimensional Challenge
Posted 3rd May 2018 by Jane Williams
The opportunity afforded by the microbiome for developing therapeutic and wellness products is matched only by the formidable task of unraveling the science of the microbiome in the first place. Microbiome research is transitioning from a descriptive to a more mechanistic science, and progress in understanding mechanisms that underpin microbiome biology is likely to result in a surge of interest in this space on the part of the biotech, pharma and investor communities.
JooMo vs Probiotic Skin Care: Why we distance ourselves from probiotics
Posted 20th March 2018 by Jane Williams
In the last installment, Kit Wallen-Russell explains why JooMo distances itself from probiotics, how third wave cosmetics can revolutionise skin health, and why biodiversity is so important to ensure perfect, healthy skin.