Use of fecal micrornas as biomarkers for probiotic administration

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms delivered in foods or supplements. Unfortunately, a full exploitation of probiotics is hampered by the lack of measurable biomarkers, that is molecules that are associated with their intake. Recently, small molecules called microRNA have been detected in the feces in a reproducible manner. The aim of this project is to determine if these fecal microRNA can be used as biomarkers of probiotic intake. This Engage Plus projects builds on an earlier Engage Grant that used fecal samples previously collected from individuals taking probiotics and identified candidate fecal microrna of interest. This Engage Plus grant will allow the analysis of additional fecal samples to confirm the results previously obtained and confirm the identification of the fecal microRNA of interest. This will help the industry partner to screen and evaluate their probiotics. It will also put Canada at the forefront of bacteria-host interaction research and help consumers to make better informed choices when purchasing these products.