APC Microbiome Ireland

APC Microbiome Ireland APC Microbiome Ireland is a world leading research centre investigating the microbiome and its effect on human, animal and planetary health.
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The APC Microbiome Institute, (http://apc.ucc.ie ) is a research centre funded by Science Foundation Ireland and industry partners. The APC Microbiome Institute, a partnership between University College Cork, Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, and the Cork Institute of Technology, focuses on research in gastrointestinal health. Pharmabiotic is a neologism devised by the

APC Microbiome Institute to represent any material (including molecules and microbes) originating from the gut ecosystem that can be exploited for a health benefit, and includes probiotics, prebiotics, metabolites, and potential new anti-microbials and anti-inflammatories. The independent international ratings agency Thomson Reuters Science Watch global analysis, recently ranked University College Cork at number 2 in the world for probiotics research, due primarily to publications from researchers in the APC Microbiome Institute (http://sciencewatch.com/ana/st/probiotics/institution/).

New APC paper on TL1A in IBD research.A new systematic review in ๐‰๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐‚๐ซ๐จ๐ก๐งโ€™๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‚๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ looks at TL1A and DR3 si...
05/06/2026

New APC paper on TL1A in IBD research.

A new systematic review in ๐‰๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐‚๐ซ๐จ๐ก๐งโ€™๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‚๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ looks at TL1A and DR3 signalling in inflammatory bowel disease.

The review brings together 63 studies on this pathway, including work on inflammation, fibrosis and gut barrier function.

It gives researchers a clear summary of a fast-moving area and helps show where the evidence is strongest, and where more clarity is still needed.

Congratulations to Raymond Fueng-Hin Liang, Cecilia Lina Pugliano, Robert Hughes, Snehali Majumder, Antonio Lo Bello, Marietta Iacucci and Subrata Ghosh.

๐Ÿ“ฐ Read the paper: https://www.ovid.com/journals/jcac/fulltext/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjag039~tl1a-as-a-therapeutic-renaissance-in-inflammatory-bowel

05/06/2026

Phages, also known as bacteriophages, are viruses that only infect bacteria.

They are found wherever bacteria live, including in the gut microbiome. By interacting with bacteria, phages can help shape microbial communities.

Our latest ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐Œ๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ post explains what phages are and why they matter for microbiome research.

Created by APC Microbiome Ireland for World Microbiome Day.

Interested in exploring how early-life gut microbes shape growth and development?Teagasc are recruiting a PhD student to...
04/06/2026

Interested in exploring how early-life gut microbes shape growth and development?

Teagasc are recruiting a PhD student to join a Walsh Scholarship-funded project at Moorepark/.

Based in the Dr Kanishka Nilaweera Lab with co-supervision by Prof Douwe van Sinderen & Dr Silvia Melgar (), this role will focus on manipulating the genomes of the gut microbiota known to respond to non-native milk ingredients and assess whether these changes influence gut activity and nutrient absorption.

๐Ÿ“ Teagac Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland
๐Ÿงซ 4-year full-time position

๐Ÿ“… Apply by 19 June 2026
๐Ÿ“ฐ Apply here: https://buff.ly/bvEdQR8 (๐Ÿ”— link in bio)

For informal enquiries & applications, contact Dr Kanishka Nilaweera ([email protected]).

Microbiomes are complex. AI can help researchers make sense of them.A new Review in ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐‹๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ญ ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ž looks at how AI-b...
04/06/2026

Microbiomes are complex. AI can help researchers make sense of them.

A new Review in ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐‹๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ญ ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ž looks at how AI-based approaches are changing microbiome research.

The paper explores tools for genome assembly, species identification, source prediction, metabolic modelling, community dynamics and protein interaction mapping.

It also keeps a careful focus on the challenges. Microbiome data can vary across people, places and methods. AI models also need better interpretability, stronger validation and clearer links to biology.

This work matters because it gives researchers a clearer framework for studying microbial communities as connected ecosystems.

APC Microbiome Ireland Group Leaders Catherine Stanton and Paul Ross contributed as part of the international consortium.

Read the paper: ๐Ÿ“ฐ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666524726000832 (๐Ÿ”— Link in bio)



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03/06/2026

Your gut and brain are connected through a two-way communication system called the gut-brain axis.

This connection involves nerves, hormones, the immune system and signals linked to the gut microbiome.

Our latest ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐Œ๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ post explains what the gut-brain axis is and why it matters for microbiome research.

Created by APC Microbiome Ireland for World Microbiome Day.

Rumen microbes carry many genes for antimicrobial peptides.A new paper in ๐ฆ๐’๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐ฌ looks at the Hungate1000 culture coll...
02/06/2026

Rumen microbes carry many genes for antimicrobial peptides.

A new paper in ๐ฆ๐’๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐ฌ looks at the Hungate1000 culture collection, a set of cultured microbes and genomes from ruminant animals.

The team mined 410 genomes and found 408 novel bacteriocin gene clusters across 308 genomes. These peptides help bacteria interact with other microbes, and many remain underexplored.

This work adds to a useful resource for studying microbial antimicrobial diversity and rumen ecology.

The study includes , , Catherine Stanton, and Paul Ross, with collaborators at and NZAGRC.

๐Ÿ“ฐ Read the paper: https://journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10.1128/msystems.00195-26 (๐Ÿ”— Link in bio)



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01/06/2026

A month at APC Microbiome Ireland, in one short video.

Our latest monthly summary brings together some of the research, events, collaborations and behind-the-scenes moments from across APC.

It is a quick look at the people and projects that shaped the month.

Watch the video for a short round-up of what has been happening at APC.

29/05/2026

Fermented foods are made with the help of microbes such as bacteria, yeasts or moulds.

Foods like yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh and some cheeses are all examples of fermented foods.

Our latest ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐Œ๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ post explains what fermented foods are and how they relate to diet, gut health and the microbiome.

Created by APC Microbiome Ireland for World Microbiome Day.

Phages can shape what happens inside dairy fermentations.A new study published in ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐š๐ฅ ๐†๐ž๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐œ๐ฌ looked at dairy str...
29/05/2026

Phages can shape what happens inside dairy fermentations.

A new study published in ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐š๐ฅ ๐†๐ž๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐œ๐ฌ looked at dairy streptococcal phages in two European fermentation facilities over one year.

The researchers studied whey samples from factories using the same Streptococcus thermophilus starter cultures. They isolated 41 phages, including 34 Moineauvirus and 7 Vansinderenvirus members.

By combining culture-based screening with phageome analysis, the study shows how phage levels and diversity can differ between sites. It also points to carbohydrate-based receptors as part of how these phages recognise their bacterial hosts.

With , Joanna Szafran, , , , Douwe van Sinderen, Jennifer Mahony and .it and Sacco SRL collaborators.

๐Ÿ“ฐ Read the paper: https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.001729 (๐Ÿ”— Link in bio)



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Congratulations to four APC Microbiome Ireland and UCC researchers recognised at the UCC Research & Innovation Awards.Pr...
28/05/2026

Congratulations to four APC Microbiome Ireland and UCC researchers recognised at the UCC Research & Innovation Awards.

Prof Paul W. Oโ€™Toole, School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Ireland, received a UCC Research Career Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to microbiology, microbial genomics and human microbiome research. Paul has also been named a Clarivate Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher every year from 2018 to 2025. He is also co-founder of CaraBia, a UCC campus company developing products for healthy ageing.

Prof Jens Walter, School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Ireland, was named Research Communicator of the Year for his work in communicating microbiome science with clarity, relevance and public value.

Dr Cristina Rosell Cardona, APC Microbiome Ireland, was named Postdoctoral Researcher of the Year, recognising the quality and promise of her research on the gut-brain axis and microbial metabolites.

Benjamin Valderrama, School of Medicine and APC Microbiome Ireland, was joint winner of PhD Student of the Year, recognising his research excellence and contribution as an emerging microbiome scientist.

Congratulations to Paul, , and Benjamin on this well-deserved recognition.



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Address

BioSciences Building, University College Cork, Western Road
Cork

Telephone

+353214901430

Website

http://microbemagic.ucc.ie/, https://linktr.ee/APCMicrobiomeIreland

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