News
APC Group Leader Secures Agri-Food Research Funding
Prof. Jens Walter has been awarded €740,879 to support the project ‘Next Generation Functional Foods to Restore Gut Microbiomes for Immune and Metabolic Health’.
Chronic diseases, including allergies, autoimmune conditions, and metabolic disorders, are on the rise across the industrialised world. While the underlying causes are not yet fully understood, growing evidence points to a lack of microbial exposure as a contributing factor, specifically the loss of beneficial microbes to which our ancestors were once exposed and that modulate the human immune system.
Professor Jens Walter’s research explores microbiome restoration and the role of microbial signals in redressing alterations caused by our modern lifestyle, to prevent and alleviate chronic disease. The NiMe Foods Team brings together colleagues from the APC Microbiome Ireland and the Teagasc Food Innovation Centre to explore how next-generation fermented foods can help restore beneficial microbial exposures that have been reduced by modern lifestyles.
The team, which integrates microbiome science, systems biology, immunology, fermentation technology, and food innovation, aims to develop everyday fermented foods that are tailored to deliver specific microbes and metabolites to support gut, immune and metabolic health.
