Jasna Novak

Title : Postbiotics of beneficial bacteria as microbial based therapies to modulate intestinal microbiome

Abstract:

Disturbance of the intestinal microbiome composition is associated with gastrointestinal as well as extraintestinal disorders. Growing knowledge suggests that microbial-based therapies through activities of biomodulators may restore a healthy intestinal microbiome. Biomodulators, besides the use of probiotics and prebiotics, also include novel approaches based on the application of postbiotics, live biotherapeutics and faecal microbiota transplantation. Althought probiotic strains have been extensively investigated, the mechanistic basis of their health-promoting effects remains unclear. It is the surface-exposed or secreted cellular compounds that are the key to interface bacteria to the environment. Therefore, the goal is to present specific probiotic trigger molecules that have the potential as postbiotics. In particular, case studies related to the structural and/or functional characterization together with challenges in their discovery f bacteriocins, S-layer proteins and exopolysaccharides will be presented. Also, enzyme activities encompassed within the proteolytic system responsible for the accumulation of biopeptides in casein-rich sources will be discussed. At first, the approaches in the screening and identification of novel lactic acid bacteria as probiotics and their target trigger biomolecules will be shown as well as evaluation of their importance in cell-to-cell or cell-to-host interactions. This implies their biological role in the functional properties of probiotic strains, particularly protective roles after exposure to stress, immunomodulatory activity, antimicrobial activity and adhesion capacity. A metagenomics approach was applied to assess the potential biomodulators of the intestinal microbiome in vivo. Expanding knowledge on probiotics and trigger molecules thereof will induce further research related to both the improvement of bioprocess and new applications of probiotics as promising living drugs.

 

Biography:

Professor Jasna Novak holds a PhD degree from the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, where she has been employed since 2003. Several times she was visiting scientist at eminent institutions: PhD fellow at INRA (2006), a postdoc at Univ. of Helsinki (2011), and researcher at Univ. of Belgrade (2011) and Univ. of Ljubljana (2014). She is visiting as an Erasmus teacher at the University of Insubria. Her research interests include applied aspects of lactic acid bacteria. A significant part of research activities is devoted to the characterization of the molecular factors of the probiotic mode of action and their potential for modulation of the intestinal microbiota. She regularly acts as a reviewer for a wide variety of journals. In 2005 and 2007 she was awarded the Biotechnical Foundation Award. She co-authored the 2 technological achievements awarded by the First Prize of Poland's Innovation Union (2007) and by a Silver medal at the 5^th International Exhibition of Inventions ARCA 2017. In 2011, she was the recipient of the Young Scientist "Vera Johanides" Award. She is a member of the Croatian Society of Biotechnology, Croatian Microbiological Society and EBTNA Association.