The meeting is set to take place at University College Cork, Ireland on Jul.9-11, chosen for its reputation as a significant hub for microbiome research, and will focus on advancing the science of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and fermented foods.
“We’re thrilled to hold the conference at the University College Cork, with the collocated APC Microbiome Ireland, one of most established microbiome research centers in the world, and bring together local and international expertise in this historic setting,” Marla Cunningham, executive director at ISAPP told NutraIngredients.
She explained the open meeting is an, "opportunity to derive the most benefits from the location by bringing in new collaborators and sharing more about what ISAPP is about".
The event is expected to draw nearly 300 participants to fill the venue, Cunningham explained, noting that the demographic of attendees has evolved since the meeting's inception in 2002.
“Typically the meeting is attended by senior academics and industry scientists, and this group is still present, but we have deliberately provided more opportunities for them to interact and collaborate with the students and fellows group,” she said.
“In recent meetings, we’ve seen a great mixture of early-career and later-career scientists mingling and finding common ground.”
Key features
The event will include expert panel discussions, an open poster session with 80 contributors, and discussion groups aimed at making significant scientific progress.
“The program is wide-ranging this year and focuses on the practical applications and understanding of biotics in new contexts,” noted Cunningham. “We hope this approach will spark new ideas and out-of-the-box thinking to solve important scientific problems in the field.”
The meeting program will cover presentations on the gut-skin axis, the delivery of probiotics to humans through soil-based interventions, intestinal ecology and ingestible sampling devices, the commensal microbiota and glycome, the latest research related to the microbiota-gut-brain axis, and mother-baby transmission of bifidobacterial strains.
The inaugural ‘Sanders Award for Advancing Biotic Science’ which recognizes significant contributions to the advancement of science in the field, will be presented at the meeting to Dr. Maria Pía Taranto, Cunningham explained.
“We’re pleased to be honoring the winner of the inaugural Sanders Award for Advancing Biotic Science, Dr Maria Pía Taranto PhD,” Cunningham said. “She has championed a public health intervention that brings probiotic foods into schools to improve children’s health in underprivileged areas - a passion for improving population health is something that ties together many of the delegates at the conference.”
Improved interaction
Building on feedback from last year, the 2024 meeting will incorporate more time for informal interactions, Cunningham explained.
“This year we’ve left a little more space for casual interactions, which we hope will allow more meaningful conversations that honor the occasion of being all together in person,” she noted.
To enhance inclusivity and audience participation, the question-and-answer format will be different this year.
“We’re changing the post-lecture questions from a roving microphone to a web-based system, and we hope this provides an opportunity for more people, including early career scientists, to feel comfortable asking questions of the speakers,” Cunningham noted.