The 2016 Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit is set to take place in Miami, Florida (USA) on March 5th and 6th, 2016. Building on the 2015 conference, the event will bring together scientific researchers, healthcare professionals and press to learn the latest information related to the gut microbiota.

As a collaboration between two medical societies — The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and the European Society of Neurogastroenterology & Motility (ESNM) – along with its partner organizations, the European Crohn‘s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) and the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN), this 5th edition receives the support of Danone and Biocodex. It aims to attract those who have an interest in how the gut microbiota affects health: particularly physicians, physicians’ assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses, but also dietitians, nutritionists, and other healthcare professionals. The conference also offers a platform for staying up-to-date on scientific developments all year long, through its Gut Microbiota for Health online communities.

The 5th Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit will feature four sessions and six workshops. The speaker lineup includes some of the internationally renowned experts in the world of gut microbiota research, including:

Colleen Kelly: Gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University (USA), whose opinions on fecal microbiota transplantation are sought out by both academic colleagues and journalists.

Ted Dinan: Professor of Psychiatry at University College Cork (Ireland) who is a leading researcher on the gut-brain axis.

Gary Wu: Professor in gastroenterology at the University of Pennsylvania (USA) and a pioneer of research on diet and gut microbiota.

Joël Doré: Research Director at INRA (the French National Institute for Agricultural Research) and Scientific Director of MetaGenoPolis, who focuses on developing a better scientific understanding of the intestinal ecosystem in order to support innovations in medicine and nutrition.

Omry Koren: Senior lecturer at Bar Ilan University (Israel) who investigates the gut microbiota at different stages of women’s lives, with special focus on the link between hormonal changes and gut microbiota.

According to Gail Hecht, gastroenterology professor at Loyola University Chicago (USA) and chair of this year’s scientific committee, bacterial ‘blueprints’ contain a wealth of information that scientists are only beginning to interpret. Hecht says, “The number of unique genes contributed by the gut microbiota is more than 150 times what is encoded within the human genome… the vast number of metabolites produced by these organisms allows effects on distant organs.” Speakers at the conference will cover the enormous potential of the gut microbiota to affect human health.

Registration is open now for all those who want to attend this exciting event. Says Gail Hecht, “Keeping abreast of this rapidly moving field and realizing how these findings could possibly be extrapolated to the clinical setting is difficult, yet an understanding of the mechanisms and potential clinical applications is imperative.” All attendees will walk away from the 2016 Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit armed with the latest information on the gut microbiota’s role in human health and disease.

For those who can’t make it to sunny Miami next year, stay tuned for news about the summit and information on how to follow the event live on Twitter! @GutMicrobiotaWW #GMFH2016