The Probiotics and Microbiota-Host Interaction Group published in the journal “Scientific Reports“ a paper entitled „High-throughput workflow for cultivation and characterization of gut microbiota strains with anti-inflammatory properties and metabolite signature associated with gut-brain communication“. 

This research developed a fast and efficient method to grow and study the hard-to-cultivate bacteria living in human gut. These microbes are usually tricky to work with because they don’t grow well outside the body. Using advanced techniques like targeted cultivation and genetic analysis, 147 bacterial strains from the human gut were isolated and analyzed. Among these, 12 strains had strong anti-inflammatory effects and the ability to produce key molecules that may support brain health. Also, optimal conditions were established to grow, store, and test even the most delicate bacteria that are sensitive to oxygen. This work contributes to future discovery of new, safe probiotic strains that could one day help treat or prevent brain-related disorders. 

This publication resulted from the project „NextGenBiotics - The use of integrative multi-omics approach in cultivation and characterization of gut bacteria related to microbiota-gut-brain axis as a source for Next Generation Probiotics“ coordinated by Dr. Nataša Golić and funded within the IDEAS program by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia.