The wonderful world of the gut microbiome

09/25/23 • 35 min

CORDIScovery – unearthing the hottest topics in EU science, research and innovation

The diverse realm of microorganisms that plays a vital role in our digestion, interacts with our brain chemistry, and even influences our immune systems, is generating a lot of scientific interest. The question is, what else does it do, and how?

This episode explores the impact of the chemical signals sent out to our organs by our microbiome, in real time. We look at how they work on a ‘brain on a chip’.

And did you know our immune system interacts with the microbes we host , which seems to have an impact on a patient’s response to chemotherapy. Microbiome research has largely focused on humans and mice – but what about fish? We see what is going on inside a salmon.

Carmen Giordano, associate professor of Bioengineering at the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan, has developed a tool to help researchers see what the signals coming out of bacteria in the microbiome do to the brain and other organs, in real time!

Nicola Gagliani heads a laboratory of the same name studying the mechanisms of T-cell biology at the University Medical Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf. He’s looking into how quickly our immune systems respond to our diets, via the microbiome.

Molecular and evolutionary biologist Morten Limborg is associate professor at the Globe Institute in Copenhagen. Morten is researching how to make farming more sustainable by fine-tuning animal feed in response to their microbiomes.

For more info on the projects featured, visit: https://europa.eu/!pd3rGP

This episode explores the impact of the chemical signals sent out to our organs by our microbiome, in real time. We look at how they work on a ‘brain on a chip’.

For more info on the projects featured, visit: https://europa.eu/!pd3rGP

Previous Episode

Pandemics: learning from the past – anticipating the future

We hit the ground running in the COVID pandemic: EU support for scientific research helped projects develop responses rapidly and effectively. Which may be just as well. Avian influenza is having a devastating impact on bird populations and has been passed onto mammal populations.

Getting funding to where it can be most effectively used, understanding the mechanisms behind public perception and behaviour, and gathering a living archive of viruses used by the scientific community across the world – this episode we are looking at the innovations which are ready to support responses to what might be coming next.

Marina Brito is a business strategic relations officer based at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in Portugal. Máire Connolly is professor of Global Health at the University of Galway’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. They are joined by professor of Health Biotechnology and Virology at Aix-Marseille University in France, Bruno Coutard, the coordinator of the European Virus Archive, which identifies, collects and distributes viruses and related, non-infectious materials for the scientific community.

For more info on the projects featured, visit: https://europa.eu/!TP6BG9

Next Episode

Portable power: batteries of the future

If you use a car, a phone or want to see more renewable energy sources in our electricity supply then listen on – this episode is for you.

We need storage devices that can balance out the intermittent power produced by renewable energy sources and our demand. We have to identify viable, novel materials to make a new generation of batteries in order to get around bottlenecks in lithium supply – set to get even worse as demand for electric vehicles takes off.

A whole new generation of cooling systems could speed up recharging time and prolong battery life. While paper-thin sheets of silicon with great conductive power could be a new boost to electric vehicle uptake. Explore these advances with our three guests:

Juan J. Vilatela leads a research group at IMDEA Materials, in Madrid. His scientific career is focused on methods for synthesis and assembly of 1D nanomaterials into macroscopic nanotextiles for energy and structural applications. Pekka Peljo is associate professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Turku, Finland. He is interested in developing electricity storage technologies for wind and solar power. Matthieu Desbois-Renaudin, president and one of the co-founders of WATTALPS, is interested in electrification, batteries and their optimisation, including the patented cooling technology.

For more info on the projects featured, visit: https://europa.eu/!YYnKjc