Research Foundation Calls for Innovative U.S. Proposals to Study Dietary Interactions with Microbiota

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Biocodex Microbiota Foundation (BMF), an organization founded by Biocodex North America and dedicated to inspiring scientific projects that explore the structure of microbiota, is calling for research proposals from innovative American researchers in the microbiome field.

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The American Biocodex Microbiota Foundation 2017 grant will be awarded to an investigator studying dietary interactions with the gut microbiome in GI disorders, evaluating the mechanisms and consequences of these dietary interactions with microbes inhabiting the gut. Applicants are favored who have 5 years or less of previous postdoc training at time of application. This grant may be applied to a new or an existing ongoing study.

Biocodex North America, a pharmaceutical company and maker of Florastor®, has been a leading researcher and provider in the microbiota field for the last 30 years. As the company continues to evolve, more emphasis has been placed on increasing awareness and placing reputable data at the fingertips of both consumers and healthcare professionals. To push this initiative forward, Biocodex launched in tandem the Biocodex Microbiota Foundation and the Biocodex Microbiota Institute in June of 2017. Together, these two entities will help advance research and understanding of the human microbiota and gut flora - work that's sorely needed in the United States and around the world. In fact, healthcare professionals reported to the BMI that only 10 percent of the American population discuss flora and gut health with their doctors and pharmacists.

The Foundation's annual call for projects is part of a multi-year research initiative to understand the interaction between microbiota and different pathologies. The 2017 call for research is focused on the ways diet interacts with gut microbiome in a variety of increasingly common intestinal disorders, including ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and celiac disease. Consider Crohn's, an inflammatory bowel disease. It's estimated that over 700,000 people in the United Sates suffer from this, and rates here and abroad continue to rise. And an estimated 1 in 133 Americans, or about 1% of the population, has celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune condition.

The total grant amount is $50,000, and the deadline to submit applications is 5 p.m. PT on November 3rd, 2017. The winner will be a selected by December 15, 2017, and notified no later than December 31, 2017.

Applicants must have advanced degrees, and applicants are favored who have five years or less of previous postdoc training at the time of application (time spent in clinical training is excluded). The grant must be applied to research in a U.S. institution.

The applications will be reviewed and the winner chosen by BMF's scientific board, comprised of Dr. Ruth Ann Luna from Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Emeran Mayer from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and Dr. Daniel Merenstein from Georgetown University.

The application can be downloaded in doc here. Incomplete application forms will not be considered. If you have trouble accessing the application, please email USAFoundation@biocodex.com for a copy of the application. For more information on the foundation's U.S. call for projects 2017, visit http://www.biocodexmicrobiotafoundation.com/foundation.

About Biocodex North America
Biocodex North America is a Silicon Valley-based pharmaceutical company dedicated to providing its customers with meaningful healthcare solutions with an emphasis on gastroenterology and oncology supportive care. Florastor® Daily Probiotic Supplements remain the flagship products, available at all major retailers nationwide. Biocodex North America is a subsidiary of Biocodex, a family-owned multinational pharmaceutical, research, development, manufacturing, and commercial enterprise operating in more than 100 countries. Visit
http://www.biocodexusa.com/ for more information.

About Biocodex Microbiota Institute
The Biocodex Microbiota Institute (BMI) offers the first major international platform to house data on human microbiota. Over recent years, growing interest has spawned a great deal of research into the role and importance of microbiota in maintaining good health. Given its background and expertise, Biocodex has chosen, through BMI, to lay the foundation for a vast network of scientifically rigorous data on microbiota, where patients and health professionals can learn about crucial advances in this field. With the discovery and worldwide marketing of the unique probiotic yeast strain, Saccharomyces boulardii lyo CNCM I-745, the company has, over 60 years, built a dual reputation as a pioneer and leader in the field of human microbiota.

BMI brings together all current knowledge and constantly collects new data on microbiota. It then shares the information regularly via communication tools and social media. As an important player in the health industry, Biocodex is proud to offer, through BMI, a source of information that meets the needs of all.

About Biocodex Microbiota Foundation
The Biocodex Microbiota Foundation's mission is to support research into microbiota and its interaction with various pathologies. Research is supported through grants given to projects that investigate the implication of microbiota in human health. BMF supports both foundational and applied research. Projects are selected annually by a committee of independent, international scientists.

The BMF's primary activity remains the awarding of annual grants to innovative scientific research projects that explore the structure of microbiota and, in particular, the impact of an imbalance in microbiota, known as dysbiosis, on the occurrence or evolution of various pathologies.

The BMF also runs and helps establish programs to improve our understanding of microbiota and disseminates this knowledge as widely as possible by organizing scientific meetings dedicated to microbiota with pertinent training sessions. Finally, the BMF can establish public projects which aim to help improve human health and which involve microbiota.

The Biocodex Microbiota Foundation (BMF) is a non-profit, general interest organization.

Contact:
SSPR
Kayli Berlin
kberlin@sspr.com
(650) 240-6926

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SOURCE Biocodex North America