Agriculture & Health Summit Press Release- May 3rd, 2021

For more information, contact:


Allie Claypool

402-472-1862

aclaypool2@unl.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Inaugural conference will bring together food producers and medical experts to envision a new era of 'food for health'

Experts to focus on applications of gut microbiome science in the global food production system

 

LINCOLN, Nebraska, USA – [May 3, 2021]. Scientific discoveries related to the gut microbiome and diet are attracting attention globally, but practical efforts to create gut-focused foods and medicines for better health often occur in silos, incorporating only a few areas of expertise. Accelerating new applications of gut microbiome science requires input from the entire roster of people who produce our foods and medicines – experts in nutrition and food science, as well as those in plant and agricultural sciences and medical biotechnology.

Only by bringing a well-rounded group of medical experts and food producers into conversations about the human gut microbiome will it be possible to realize the promise of this scientific field: creating novel products that target the gut microbiota with the aim of preventing and treating serious chronic illnesses.

This idea is the driver behind an inaugural conference organized by the University of Nebraska's Food for Health Center, called the Agriculture & Health Summit: Cultivating Gut Health at the Crossroads of Food & Medicine.

This unique three-day virtual conference, to be held from October 11-13, 2021, is a rare opportunity for experts from diverse fields to come together to discuss the future of ‘food for health’. Participants will be able to discuss opportunities and challenges in mitigating disease risk via the gut microbiome, and to strategize about working toward solutions in nutrition and medicine.

The directors of major food for health centers and gut microbiome research projects will speak at the event. These include Bruce German, Director of the UC Davis Food for Health Institute; Yolanda Sanz, Coordinator of the MyNewGut Research Consortium; Bruce Hamaker, Director of the Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research; and many more. A highlight of the event will also be a discussion on regulatory frameworks.

The virtual conference will feature scientific plenary sessions, poster sessions, and panel discussions on gut-microbiota-focused innovation and commercialization. Participants will also benefit from one-on-one networking opportunities within the virtual platform.

Event registration is now open. For more information on attendance or sponsorship, please see the conference website: http://aghealthsummit.com/

 

About the Nebraska Food for Health Center

The Nebraska Food for Health Center, launched in 2016, is a more than $40 million initiative to improve the lives of people around the world. The multidisciplinary center brings together strengths in agriculture and medicine from throughout the university system. It helps develop hybrid crops and foods to improve the quality of life of those affected by critical diseases including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancers, inflammatory bowel disease and mental disorders.