Microbial ecology, Nutrition and Health

Food Biotechnology

Microbial ecology, Nutrition and Health

iata - Ecología Microbiana, Nutrición y Salud

Description

Identification of the interactions between the human microbiota and its genome (microbiome) with the diet and the host genotype, and their influence on the nutritional and health status and on the development of disorders related to the diet, lifestyle and aging and selection of a next generation of probiotics and evaluation of their efficacy and their mechanism of action that can contribute to reduce the risk of developing diseases related to functional alterations of the immune and neuroendocrine systems

Objectives

1. To determine the effects of interactions between the intestinal microbiota, the diet and the host genotype on the risk of developing immune and neuroendocrine related disorders, such as celiac disease and obesity and the associated co-morbidities (e.g. metabolic syndrome, dyslipemia, diabetes, fatty liver, feeding behaviour, etc.), with the aim to identify possible biomarkers of disease risk and targets for new nutritional interventions.
2. To develop a next generation of probiotics and by-products from indigenous intestinal human isolates, with ability to reduce the incidence of immune and neuroendocrine related disorders.
3. To identify the molecular mechanisms of action of these bacteria and their products on the communication and function of the gut, peripheral tissue and brain axes by integrating physiological studies, omic-technologies (transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, etc.) and systems biology.
4. To design integrated intervention strategies that lead to reduction or favourable modification of risk factors of diseases related to the diet and lifestyle during the lifespan.
5. To contribute to the development of more efficient policies and dietary recommendations for health promotion and disease prevention.

Research staff