dsm-firmenich names winners of grant to advance gut health across APAC

dsm-firmenich, innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, will award a total of €250,000 through its inaugural Nutrition Research Grant to five distinguished researchers from the Asia-Pacific region. Each recipient will receive an award of €50,000 to support up to 18 months of groundbreaking research aimed at advancing scientific understanding of gut health.

The Nutrition Research Grant was established to further nutrition research in the Asia-Pacific region by providing funding support for research conducted in Asia-Pacific to address research gaps on nutrition and health topics among the region’s populations.

The inaugural grant is centred on the theme “Health from the Gut across the Human Lifespan”, highlighting the growing recognition of gut health as a cornerstone of overall well-being across the Asia-Pacific region. dsm-firmenich, called for proposals to study the individual and synergistic roles of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), probiotics and postbiotics in segments such as early life nutrition, adult nutrition, and healthy aging. The aim is to deepen our understanding of the impact of various “biotics” on the gut microbiome and other health determinants in important areas such as metabolic health, immunity, and even mental health.

The recipients and their projects

dsm-firmenich’s Nutrition Research Grant recipients were selected through a rigorous evaluation process led by an international panel of experts in the gut microbiome field. Submissions came in from nine different countries in Asia pacific which were then assessed by the expert panel. The panel selected five proposals that demonstrated strong scientific merit, the potential to address critical health issues in the Asia-Pacific region, and a close alignment with this year's Grant’s theme of "Health from the Gut Across the Lifespan."

Selection criteria emphasized studies investigating HMOs and postbiotics, either independently or in combination with probiotics, to explore their effects on the gut microbiome and subsequent impacts on immunity, metabolism, aging, and mental health.

Anneleen Spooren, Senior Vice President, Innovation, R&D & Regulatory, Health, Nutrition and Care (HNC), dsm-firmenich remarked, “We were very impressed with the quality and depth of submissions we received. Applications came in from nine different countries across the Asia-Pacific region and we engaged two key-opinion leaders in microbiome and clinical nutrition to select the top five projects. We are excited to work closely with these researchers to uncover how different biotics can modulate the gut microbiome and to expand our knowledge of the microbiome-health relationship.”

The five dsm-firmenich Nutrition Research Grant recipients were:

 Asst Prof. Bahrul Fikri, Hasanuddin University, Indonesia.

Observational study: HMOs in Breastmilk and their relation to Gut Bifodobacterium, Vitamin D, and Immune Modulation in Infants

Assoc Prof. Chong Chun Wie, Monash University, Malaysia.

Randomised Controlled Trial: Assessing the Combination effect of Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) and probiotics on an Overweight Cohort

Assoc Prof. Jeremy Lim, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

Pre-clinical study: Identification of Postbiotics and Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) that Improve Gut Microbiome and Host Health in Asian Adults

Prof. Ji-Yeon Kim, Seoul National University of Science & Technology, South Korea.

Animal model study: Postbiotics and Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) as a Modulator of Cellular Senescence by Enhancing Gut Barrier Function

 Prof. Yongsoon Park, Hanyang University, South Korea.

Randomised Controlled Trial: Effects of Postbiotics on Mood Disorders in Korean Adults

“At dsm-firmenich, we are deeply committed to delivering science-backed solutions that elevate preventive health and address region-specific challenges,” said Tina Low, Senior Vice President, HNC, Asia-Pacific at dsm-firmenich. “The Nutrition Research Grant embodies our mission of 'together elevating health' by fostering collaboration with the scientific community to advance gut health research relevant to the unique lifestyles and diets of Asia-Pacific populations. Understanding the effects of our health-from-the-gut ingredients in this diverse region is critical to developing more tailored and efficacious solutions across life stages.”