Updates in the Role of Pre- and Probiotics in Health and Disease: Where Do We Stand Today?

The 2022 International Scientific Conference of Probiotics, Prebiotics, Gut Microbiota and Health® took place in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 27th–30th June. A common theme throughout the conference was that, although significant progress has been made, considerable work remains to be done in understanding how probiotics work, aligning definitions of microbiome-modifying agents, and communicating evidence-based recommendations to clinicians and consumers. There was also an overarching concern around the ease with which food supplements receive marketing approval compared to drugs, and where probiotics lie on this spectrum. Arthur Ouwehand, International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. (IFF), Kantvik, Finland, presented updates to the 2022 International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Concise Monograph on probiotics, prebiotics, and the gut microbiota in human health. Hania Szajewska, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, focused on clinical recommendations for the use of probiotics, suggesting ways to approach the differences between guidelines. Regulatory agencies now recognise probiotics as a new category of medicinal products termed ‘live biotherapeutic products’, and Sin-Hyeog Im, Pohang University of Sciences and Biotechnology, Pohang, South Korea, and ImmunoBiome Inc., Pohang, South Korea, discussed the importance of characterising a new probiotic and understanding its mechanism of action to fulfil regulatory requirements. Benjamin Jensen, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, stressed the importance of considering the gastrointestinal target and the diet and condition of the patient when developing probiotics, and Martin Haranta, PerBiotiX – Microbiome Solutions, Kysucké Nové Mesto, Slovakia, expanded on this subject, emphasising the promise that personalised and targeted modulation of gut microbiota holds for chronic disease. Sean Gibbons, Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington, USA, and University of Washington, Seattle, USA, described some of the current and emerging tools to support research into microbiota-based therapies and how these could be harnessed to achieve personalised medicine. Finally, links between the gut microbiome and the liver and central nervous system (CNS), and potential therapies to exploit these connections were illustrated by Peter Konturek, Thuringia-Clinic Saalfeld, Germany, and Gerard Clarke, University College Cork, Ireland.