‘Biotics’ research, encompassing the study of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics and postbiotics and their effects on human health shows no signs of slowing down.
Building on recent advances in understanding the gut microbiome and host response, experts at the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) 2025 conference discussed how to take a rational informed approach to selecting the right biotic for a specific indication.
They considered validated targets across five key areas: the immune system, host metabolism, the gut nervous system, human commensal microbes and the gut-brain axis.
This new publication summarises their discussions and presents five key recommendations aimed at increasing the likelihood that biotic interventions will lead to meaningful clinical impacts:
- Aim to modulate or refine rather than “boost” host metabolism and the immune system to achieve specific outcomes.
- Consider the human metabolome (the complete collection of all small-molecule metabolites found within the human body) in addition to the microbiome, as both a readout and a therapeutic target e.g. how gut microbes influence the human metabolome, and how the metabolome influences specific cells and tissues.
- Determine context-dependent responses to biotics by considering location within the gut e.g. small bowel versus colon as well as developmental life stage, environmental influences and diet.
- Explore a broader range of microbial fermentation substrates that can yield biologically active products beyond short chain fatty acids e.g. microbial fermentation of glutamate into the neurotransmitter Gamma-aminobutyric acid or metabolism of dietary polyphenols.
- Leverage new approach methods to complement traditional cell culture and animal models, including advanced computational tools such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify patterns from multi-omics research, as well as new in vitro and ex vivo techniques.
The aim of the article is to accelerate the translation of robust biotic research into meaningful clinical applications and adds to a growing number of guidance documents for those researching this area.
Earlier this summer, the Probiotics Task Force of International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Europe also added to general guidance for researchers in the area of probiotics with the publication of PRODARE (PRObiotic human study Design And REporting), a consensus framework designed to support better study design, conduct and reporting in probiotic research.
Together these publications will help accelerate research in this space.
