News

Kinsella Memorial Prize winner

Ellie Yin receives award for doctoral research examining probiotics and health. Xiaochen (Ellie) Yin, who recently completed her Ph.D. in food science, has been awarded the John E. Kinsella Memorial Prize for outstanding research on her doctoral dissertation examining probiotics and health. Interest in probiotics has grown significantly with consumers in recent years and is now a leading sector of the food supplement market. However, probiotics research is still in its early stages—with promising but sometimes inconsistent outcomes regarding beneficial effects.

Championing Open Science with the “World’s Largest Citizen Microbiome Project”

With help from more than 10,000 citizen scientists, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers and collaborators have compiled the largest public reference database concerning the human gut microbiome. Released today in mSystems, the study is a step forward in understanding how factors such as diet, antibiotics and mental health relate to the microbes living in the human gut.

US Government Interagency Microbiome Plan Released

A group of 23 U.S. government agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), have joined to produce the Interagency Strategic Plan for Microbiome Research, which outlines the objectives, structure and principles for coordinated research in this important field of study.

Immune system and gastrointestinal deregulation linked with autism

Researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute have found that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reduced immune system regulation, as well as shifts in their gut microbiota. The immune deregulation appears to facilitate increased inflammation and may be linked to the gastrointestinal issues so often experienced by children with ASD. The research was published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.