Danone North America, one of the largest purpose-driven food and beverage companies, announced it has selected the 2023-2024 recipients of the Annual Gut Microbiome, Yogurt and Probiotic Fellowship Program. This year, Evan Chrisler of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Arushana Maknojia of Baylor College of Medicine have been awarded $25,000 each to conduct research to help further the understanding of the gut microbiome, yogurt and probiotics. The 2023-2024 program marks 12 years and more than half a million dollars' worth of grants awarded to empower creative research and further scientific advances in the microbiome space.

The impact of yogurt, probiotics and the gut microbiome can be linked to several health benefits including those relating to brain, digestive and immune function. Consumer interest in improving gut and immune health through probiotic-rich foods has soared, as consumers continue to seek out products that are tailored to help improve specific health and wellness issues.

Recipient Evan Chrisler's research will examine the effects of timing of ingestion and type of probiotic on metabolism and immunity. The study will explore how specific Lactobacillaceae community members induce diurnal regenerating islet-derived 3 gamma (REG3y) expression and how analogous Lactobacillaceae species leverage resistance toward diurnal host defense peptide to maintain a niche within the gastrointestinal community.

The prolonged use of antibiotics can impair normal blood cell production by depleting the gut microbiome. Arushana Maknojia's research will examine the mechanisms by which inflammatory signals from commensal microbes regulate the steady-state hematopoiesis, the blood cell production process. The aim is to define the specific commensal species and their metabolites that support production and function of immune cells via hematopoietic cytokines and growth factor secretion.

Established in 2010, the Danone Fellowship Grant provides funding for novel studies of yogurt, probiotics, and the gut microbiome. A panel of judges with expertise in the field choose winners based on the quality of their proposals, faculty recommendations, and each of their studies' value to human health and wellness. As a public benefit corporation (PBC) and one of the largest B Corps in the world, Danone North America is committed to use business as a force for good, balancing financial interests with social and environmental benefits for people, communities and the planet. In 2022, Danone North America committed to invest $4 million by 2030, in collaboration with the White House Conference on Hunger and Nutrition to enhance nutrition and food security research. The 2023-2024 Fellowship Grants for Gut Microbiome, Yogurt and Probiotic studies are a part of this commitment.

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