Microbiomes may have the potential to benefit the global food system, but tapping that potential requires coordinated research – which currently isn’t the case. The EU-funded MicrobiomeSupport project aims to change this by mapping the research landscape and highlighting the need to standardise data. In doing so, it is ensuring that microbiome research can support safe, healthy and sustainable food systems.
To answer the question of why diabetic patients are more susceptible to developing tuberculosis, the EU-funded TANDEM project linked leading European laboratories with field sites in TB-endemic countries such as Indonesia.
Obesity is on the rise in Europe and with that worrying signs of poor health, stigmatisation and social exclusion, especially among the young. International research is now under way to help schools tackle this scourge through physical education classes that better communicate the benefits of being active to all students, regardless of their gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race and social class.
EU-funded researchers have achieved a deeper understanding of how microbes in the gut can influence energy balance and behaviour. This could lead to new ways of tackling weight gain, eating disorders and even psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Increasing global trade and climate change have helped the spread of non-native pests and diseases across Europe, posing major challenges to plant health. The EU-funded Dropsa project is working with 26 partners in Europe, Asia, New Zealand and North America to find safe and sustainable ways to protect Europe's fruit industry.
