About this Research Topic
Probiotics are defined by the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. Traditional probiotics have been used for centuries without harm, but it wasn’t until the 20th century that they found important commercial use. The relatively recent development of methods to isolate and culture bacteria, omics techniques, and robust tools to edit the bacterial genome have ushered in a new era of probiotics research. The number of microorganisms with promising health benefits is ever increasing, although in contrast to the traditional probiotics, their safety is not proven and they often cannot be used in foods or food supplements according to current regulations. These newly identified bacteria are known as next-generation probiotics (NGPs).
The majority of the new species attracting interest as potential NGPs originate in the gut, such as Lactobacillus paraplantarum 11-1, Akkermansia municiphila, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Enterococcus munditii. However, more and more studies highlight the benefits of probiotics in other organs, like L. sakei proBio-65 in the skin and Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum 09010 in the respiratory tract. Each of these NGP candidates is being studied in the context of a disease, including obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation, superinfection and cancer. Finally, these NGPs differ from traditional probiotics from a regulatory point of view, as they usually follow the path to approval as new drugs instead of the food route due to the stricter requirements and greater difficulty of the latter.
This Research Topic aims to collect the most advanced findings in NGPs, from molecular mechanisms of action to commercialization and regulation. We welcome all types of manuscripts (original research, review, minireviews, editorials, methods and perspectives) and encourage submissions covering, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Methods for the isolation and characterization of new beneficial microorganisms
• NGP candidates and gut health
• NGP candidates and extraintestinal ecosystems health
• Molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial function of NGPs
• Development of disease-specific NGPs
• Novel delivery methods
• Omics and bioinformatic approaches in the identification of new probiotics candidates
• Regulatory frameworks for NGPs
• Challenges in the production, commercialization and use of NGPs
The majority of the new species attracting interest as potential NGPs originate in the gut, such as Lactobacillus paraplantarum 11-1, Akkermansia municiphila, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Enterococcus munditii. However, more and more studies highlight the benefits of probiotics in other organs, like L. sakei proBio-65 in the skin and Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum 09010 in the respiratory tract. Each of these NGP candidates is being studied in the context of a disease, including obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation, superinfection and cancer. Finally, these NGPs differ from traditional probiotics from a regulatory point of view, as they usually follow the path to approval as new drugs instead of the food route due to the stricter requirements and greater difficulty of the latter.
This Research Topic aims to collect the most advanced findings in NGPs, from molecular mechanisms of action to commercialization and regulation. We welcome all types of manuscripts (original research, review, minireviews, editorials, methods and perspectives) and encourage submissions covering, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Methods for the isolation and characterization of new beneficial microorganisms
• NGP candidates and gut health
• NGP candidates and extraintestinal ecosystems health
• Molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial function of NGPs
• Development of disease-specific NGPs
• Novel delivery methods
• Omics and bioinformatic approaches in the identification of new probiotics candidates
• Regulatory frameworks for NGPs
• Challenges in the production, commercialization and use of NGPs
Keywords: Next-generation probiotics (NGPs), human microbiome, health and disease, molecular mechanisms, regulatory framework, production and commercialization.
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
