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ISTC Makes Probiotics a Priority Area of Research


In the last 10 years, research onProbiotics has been growing exponentially throughout the world and billions of dollars have been invested in R&D mainly by the food industry and pharmaceutical companies. Recognizing the importance of the phenomenon and responding to the demand for further research, ISTC’s Governing Board has agreed to the creation of a “Targeted Initiative” aiming to organize and concentrate the efforts of various institutes in Russia, other countries of the CIS and Georgia in order to respond to the needs of the private sector and other public health organizations. A 330,000$ project intending to stimulate immunity with probiotics was funded in the frame of the Targeted Initiative.

Probiotics are dietary supplements of live bacteria or yeasts recognized to be healthy for the host organism. The bacterial cultures are intended to assist the body's naturally occurring gut flora, which is an ecology of microbes, to re-establish themselves. Generally found in certain dairy products, probiotics strengthen the immune system to combat stress, exposure to toxic substances, infections, allergies and other diseases.

Russia has a long tradition of research in this area as the concept of probiotics was demonstrated in 1903 by the outstanding Russian scientist and Nobel Prize winner E. Mechnikoff. In the last 30 years, a significant amount of research was done by leading Russian and CIS Institutes such as VECTOR in Koltsovo, SCRAMB (State Research Center of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology) in Obolensk, IHPB (Institute of Highly Pure Biopreparations) in St Petersburg, IMV (Institute of Microbiology and Virology) in Kazakhstan, and Eliava Institute in Georgia.

The Institute of Immunological Engineering (Lyubuchany) is engaged in an ISTC Partner Project together with the company “Danone Research”. ISTC is actively helping the institute with commercializing the results of its research through a "Sustainability Plan" in order to reach a reasonable level of independence from public funding.