On 11 May, the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) met to discuss the “health and economic benefits of microbiome”. The meeting was chaired by STOA president and member of the European Parliament Eva Kaili and gathered speakers from the Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRAE) (France), the University of Ferrara (Italy) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).   

Emphasis was placed on microbiome’s beneficial effects on humans’ health as well as on its multiple impacts on responses to drugs, diabetes, and cancer and how it can provide guidance towards new therapeutic approaches. 

As part of the second session speakers, Professor and Doctor Lene Lange discussed its many potential environmental applications such as pesticide use reduction, animal welfare, wastewater analyses and how they can help reach the EU Green Deal’s objectives by 2030.     

Marta Hugas, chief scientist at EFSA, then presented the wide capacity building on microbiome-based health and safety risk assessments of which numerous aspects are to be addressed during EFSA’s “ONE” conference on the one-health-approach; planned for June 2022. 

Find more details and watch the event’s web streaming here.