APC Microbiome Ireland

APC Microbiome Ireland APC Microbiome Ireland is a world leading research centre investigating the microbiome and its effect on human, animal and planetary health.
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The APC Microbiome Institute, (http://apc.ucc.ie ) is a research centre funded by Science Foundation Ireland and industry partners. The APC Microbiome Institute, a partnership between University College Cork, Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, and the Cork Institute of Technology, focuses on research in gastrointestinal health. Pharmabiotic is a neologism devised by the

APC Microbiome Institute to represent any material (including molecules and microbes) originating from the gut ecosystem that can be exploited for a health benefit, and includes probiotics, prebiotics, metabolites, and potential new anti-microbials and anti-inflammatories. The independent international ratings agency Thomson Reuters Science Watch global analysis, recently ranked University College Cork at number 2 in the world for probiotics research, due primarily to publications from researchers in the APC Microbiome Institute (http://sciencewatch.com/ana/st/probiotics/institution/).

17/04/2026
17/04/2026

6 Stories. Latest story added on 17 April 2026. See insider moments and handpicked daily stories you won't find anywhere else.

The gut microbiome may be linked with mental health in older age.A new paper in PLOS ONE looked at 153 older Chilean adu...
17/04/2026

The gut microbiome may be linked with mental health in older age.

A new paper in PLOS ONE looked at 153 older Chilean adults with cognitive complaints. The researchers used 16S V4 sequencing and five mental health and cognitive tests to examine how gut microbiome composition and neuroactive pathways relate to psychological and cognitive measures.

They found associations involving pathways linked to compounds such as tryptophan, short-chain fatty acids, glutamate and nitric oxide, along with differences tied to depressive symptoms and s*x.

This matters because it adds new human evidence on how gut microbial functions may relate to mental and cognitive health in ageing.

APC contributors include Benjamin Valderrama, Thomaz Bastiaanssen, Gerard Clarke and .

๐Ÿ“ฐ Read the paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0343493 (๐Ÿ”— link in bio)



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What we eat can change how a gut pathogen behaves.A new study published in ๐…๐จ๐จ๐ ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ shows that dietary chitin r...
16/04/2026

What we eat can change how a gut pathogen behaves.

A new study published in ๐…๐จ๐จ๐ ๐Œ๐ข๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ shows that dietary chitin reduced the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes and changed early immune and microbiome responses. The researchers saw higher early IL-6, more Alistipes, Eubacterium and Duncaniella, and less Prevotella. Transcriptomic analysis also showed higher virR and dltD expression.

This matters because it helps explain how diet can influence pathogen behaviour, host biology and the wider gut ecosystem.

The study includes APC Microbiome Ireland and UCC researchers, including , , Darja Flegar, Kardokh Kaka Bra, Miguel Villoria Recio, Mohammed Bahey-El-Din, , Marcus Claesson, and .

๐Ÿ“ฐ Read the paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074000202600081X (๐Ÿ”— Link in bio)


| | School of Pharmacy

We were delighted to welcome a group of Transition Year seondary school students to APC Microbiome Ireland and the lab s...
16/04/2026

We were delighted to welcome a group of Transition Year seondary school students to APC Microbiome Ireland and the lab space at this week as part of UCC TY Week, hosted by the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences ().

During our ๐—•๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—•๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜ ๐Œ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ด๐˜† ๐‹๐—ฎ๐—ฏ, students:
๐Ÿ”ฌ Prepared a shop-bought probiotic drink so we can count the bacteria inside
๐Ÿงผ Explored hand hygiene and microbial spread
๐Ÿงซ Stained E. coli and Lactococcus lactis to view under the microscope

We wrapped up with our size-and-scale challenge, ordering everything from a carbon atom to a coffee bean - always a highlight!

A big thank you to our fantastic demonstrators Killian Scanlon, Shona Uniacke Lowe (), Katie Bourke (.06), Lorraine Draper, Ioanna Fountouli and session coordinators and Eva McArdle for making the session such a success.

We are delighted to welcome our new recruits to APC Microbiome Ireland!Please join us in welcoming Alice Colella (alicec...
14/04/2026

We are delighted to welcome our new recruits to APC Microbiome Ireland!

Please join us in welcoming Alice Colella (alicecolel), Amit Kumar, Laura Gallardo, Maria Dios, Liana Matusevic () and Kaaviyaa Muthughavi () .

They will be working with Prof. Marietta Iacucci, Prof. Yvonne Nolan, Prof. Gerard Clarke, Prof. Maria Aburto (._aburto), Dr Sinรฉad Corr and Dr Jatin Nagpal () contributing to APCโ€™s world-leading research on the microbiome and its impact on health.

We look forward to seeing them flourish and wish them every success as part of the APC community.

Welcome to APC Microbiome Ireland!

Different types of exercise do not affect the brain in the same way.A new paper in ๐‘ต๐’†๐’–๐’“๐’๐’‘๐’‰๐’‚๐’“๐’Ž๐’‚๐’„๐’๐’๐’๐’ˆ๐’š compared 8 weeks of...
14/04/2026

Different types of exercise do not affect the brain in the same way.

A new paper in ๐‘ต๐’†๐’–๐’“๐’๐’‘๐’‰๐’‚๐’“๐’Ž๐’‚๐’„๐’๐’๐’๐’ˆ๐’š compared 8 weeks of voluntary wheel running and treadmill exercise. The researchers looked at spatial memory, adult hippocampal neurogenesis and the cerebrospinal fluid proteome in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Treadmill exercise improved spatial memory, while wheel running increased adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Both exercise models also showed modest anxiolytic effects.

This matters because it shows that the exercise model used in a study can shape the results, which is important for brain and behaviour research.

APC authors on the paper are Maria Giovanna Caruso, Sebastian Dohm-Hansen, Francisco Donoso, Maria Rynikova, Aonghus Lavelle, Sarah Nicolas, Olivia F O'Leary and Yvonne M Nolan along with their UCC colleague Jane English.

๐Ÿ“ฐ Read the paper: ๐Ÿ“ฐ https://buff.ly/YS5tNUI (link in bio)



13/04/2026

What did we share this month at APC?

Our latest monthly summary brings together new papers, news, events and opportunities from across APC.

It is a simple way to catch up on recent work in science and the people behind it, without the clutter.

See all our publications here: https://bit.ly/apc-publications (link in bio)

What did we share this month at APC?Our latest monthly summary brings together new papers, news, events and opportunit...
13/04/2026

What did we share this month at APC?

Our latest monthly summary brings together new papers, news, events and opportunities from across APC.

It is a simple way to catch up on recent work in science and the people behind it, without the clutter.

See all our publications here: https://bit.ly/apc-publications (link in bio)

How do you keep species names consistent when sequencing gets faster?A new forum paper published in ๐“๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐š๐ซ๐š๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐จ...
10/04/2026

How do you keep species names consistent when sequencing gets faster?

A new forum paper published in ๐“๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐š๐ซ๐š๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ focuses on Blastocystis and the challenge of naming new subtypes in the next-generation sequencing era. The paper argues that subtype discovery has sped up, but naming decisions need strong evidence. The authors recommend near full-length small subunit ribosomal RNA data and replication as minimum standards.

This matters because clear naming helps researchers compare findings across studies and track patterns more reliably.

APC Group leader Dr Pauline Scanlan co-authored the paper with collaborators at , Mahidol University and Statens Serum Institut.

Read the paper:
๐Ÿ”— Link in bio
or
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.03.006


Depression can vary by context and by the wider clinical picture.Two new papers in ๐“๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ฌ๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐๐ฌ๐ฒ๐œ๐ก๐ข๐š๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ, co-authored...
09/04/2026

Depression can vary by context and by the wider clinical picture.

Two new papers in ๐“๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ฌ๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐๐ฌ๐ฒ๐œ๐ก๐ข๐š๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ, co-authored by , look at that from different angles. One study analysed genetic risk scores in adults with ADHD and found that those with a history of major depression showed a distinct pattern, alongside more inattentive symptoms and stronger internalising features. The second study tracked everyday social interactions in 57 patients with depression and 57 matched controls over five days. Familiar social contact was linked to lower momentary anxiety, but cardiovascular patterns still differed in the patient group.

Together, these studies add useful detail on how depression relates to comorbidity and daily experience.

Congratulations to Sarah on both papers, and very best wishes in your new role.

Read the papers:
๐Ÿ“ฐ https://buff.ly/kx7TGyj

๐Ÿ“ฐ https://buff.ly/x0NPznM

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APC Microbiome Ireland, (http://apc.ucc.ie ) is a flagship Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre funded by SFI and industry partners. APC Microbiome Ireland, a partnership between University College Cork, Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, and the Cork Institute of Technology, explores the role of the microbiome in health and disease. Over the last 15 years, the APC has established itself as a global leader global in microbiome research, with several landmark discoveries and over 2000 research articles in peer-reviewed journals, generating many journal covers and associated editorials. In an independent bibliometric review of APC peer-reviewed publications, APC ranked #4 for microbiome research globally, and was ranked #1 for probiotic research and bacteriocin research and #5 for gut related diseases. In the last 5 years competitive research funding won from both national and international funding agencies has totalled over โ‚ฌ70 million, with an additional โ‚ฌ25 million from industry collaborations, and the APC has spun out 3 companies that now employ 40 researchers.