Programme

The IPA World Congress + Probiota Global 2025 included three-days of engaging, inspiring, and informative content:

• Healthspan and longevity:

  We’re all ageing, some of us more gracefully and healthily than others, and a whole biohacker subculture is emerging that is aiming to live a very long time. The microbiome is increasingly implicated as a central player in healthy aging, particularly when we look at its impacts on immunosenescence and cognition, and the potential for prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics to influence these end points. We’ll hear from experts on the cutting edge of this research and try to understand if and how our microbiomes may offer a way to boost healthspan.

  




• Innovation with Next-Gen Probiotics

  The probiotics category was built on Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, but recent advances in sequencing and culturing of microbes from other genus has led to intense interest in novel, so-called next generation strains. From Akkermansia and Hafnia to Christensenella and Faecalibacterium, the list of potential novel strains to improve health and wellness is immense. This session will explore which species and strains have the potential to disrupt the market in the near term and will explore where the science is taking us next.

  




• Bioinformatics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Computational Science – what does it all mean?

  Terms like bioinformatics, AI, and ML, are becoming everyday topics of conversation. Offering numerous advantages, such as automating tasks, improving decision-making through data analysis, enhancing customer experiences, and boosting productivity across industries, these technologies are simplifying our lives. They allow businesses to make more informed predictions, streamline operations, and personalize services. However, these technologies also come with challenges, including data privacy concerns, possible biases in algorithms, and the need for substantial data and enhanced computational resources. Join us for this session as we delve into the pros and cons of these transformative technologies, which are set to bring about a paradigm shift in our everyday lives.

  




• Gut-brain axis

  The microbiota-gut-brain axis, that bi-directional interaction between the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system, has created numerous opportunities to impact mental health, mood, sleep, stress management, cognitive performance and much more. This session will search for answers to a number of questions, including what the science actually says. We’ll hear from leading researchers and brands in this space, and we’ll also explore how prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics may be therapeutics for neurodegeneration.

  




• Microbiome Modulation for Athletic Performance

  We know that the microbiome of elite athletes is different to non-athletes, but what can we learn to modulate the microbiome via prebiotics and probiotics to boost performance and recovery in non-athletes? This session will look at the science to date, explore the potential to mine the microbiomes of elite athletes for next-generation probiotics and postbiotics, and consider the wider role for microbiome analysis and modulation in elite sports.

  




• Exploring the ‘Pantryome’

  The “pantryome” concept, proposed by Dr. Jeremy Burton, is based on the idea of community sharing of nutritional metabolites produced by the microbiome. In other words, individual bacteria that lack some nutrients can access what they need from this shared pool of metabolites and can, in return, give excess metabolites back to the pool for other microorganisms to use. This concept has important implications when thinking about health, wellness, and disease as we need to think about the microbial community as a whole and not just an individual bacterium. This session will explore the microbial ecology and how targeting this community interactions can influence health.

  




• Postbiotics

  Postbiotics are slowly establishing themselves as a strong weapon in the arsenal for modulating the microbiome. While there isn’t total agreement about the ISAPP definition, there is wholesale excitement about what the science is showing for postbiotics, and how these ingredients may offer more formulation opportunities than the sensitive probiotics. This session will explore all aspects of the emerging postbiotics category and provide actionable insights and highlight key opportunities for the next decade.

  




• The State of the Market

  The pandemic boosted interest in all things microbiome-related and many companies enjoyed record sales, but market slowdowns due to inflationary pressures and geopolitical uncertainty have led to some recalibration of consumer priorities and spending. But we’re not back to where we were in 2019 and the market remains positive. But which categories are attracting the most interest? What’s going on in the prebiotic space? How are postbiotics and synbiotics changing the landscape for consumers? And can the numbers give us a glimpse of what comes next? This session will seek answers to these big questions and more!