DuPont Scientist to Speak at AgriVision on Microbiome's Potential to Fight Antimicrobial Resistance

Dr. Andrew Morgan's presentation will focus on the global challenge of reducing antibiotic use, looking at how microbiome science might potentially enable solutions.

LEIDEN, Netherlands (PRWEB) June 14, 2017

DuPont today announced that Dr. Andrew Morgan – DuPont Fellow and Chief Scientist, DuPont Nutrition & Health – will present on the emerging science of the microbiome and how it might potentially provide solutions to address the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance at AgriVision 2017. The conference – which will run June 13-15 in Noordwijk aan Zee, the Netherlands – is organized by Nutreco, a global leader in animal nutrition and aqua feed.

Dr. Morgan will join a wide range of speakers – including former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan – at the prominent conference in which three key themes will be explored: technology and big data in agriculture, agricultural development and strategies to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Dr. Morgan's presentation will focus on the global challenge of reducing antibiotic use, looking at how microbiome science might potentially enable solutions including probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes.

"The science is relatively new – the microbiome has only been studied for the past 10 to 15 years," said Dr. Morgan. "There are tens of trillions of microbial cells, more than 1,000 species of microbes encoding millions of genes in the human microbiome and it is apparent that it plays a very important role in our health. It is important to understand how antibiotics affect such an important microbial ecosystem and to find ways to mitigate any negative consequences including anti-microbial resistance."

While the use of antibiotics has immense benefits, the effect on beneficial microbes in both the human and animal gut microbiome could pose other, potentially longer-term problems. Dr. Morgan will highlight the results of a study showing that a probiotic can help reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal disorders caused by the use of antibiotics. In the area of animal nutrition & health, Dr. Morgan will highlight how current feed enzymes and animal probiotics improve digestibility and promote animal gut health, and how microbiome science has the potential to yield future solutions to address AMR in livestock production.

"The future of microbial science as an answer for AMR is promising, but it is still early days," Dr. Morgan said. "It will require a multi-stakeholder collaborative approach – the kind we've seen between DuPont and Nutreco – to find solutions to tackle this important global challenge."

"DuPont has been an important partner for Nutreco. Our collaboration on feed enzymes goes back decades," said Nutreco Chief Innovation Officer, Viggo Halseth. "Promoting animal gut health is a focus area for Nutreco in finding nutritional solutions to combat AMR. We are eager to learn where microbiome science could help us in that respect."

Follow the hyperlinks to learn more about DuPont solutions for gut health probiotics for humans and for animals. You may also download a copy of Dr. Morgan's presentation.

Dr. Andrew Morgan has over 35 years of experience in research and development, including human health & nutrition, animal nutrition, industrial enzymes and crop science as well as innovation management, business development and corporate venturing. He will be speaking during the afternoon session on Wednesday, June 14.

After its inception in 2000, AgriVision has been organized biennially by Nutreco and Trouw Nutrition since 2003 and facilitates an informed discussion at a strategic level on current and future concerns in the protein food chain. AgriVision aspires to shift minds, develop new ideas, build networks and inspire approaches for the benefit of all those involved in the feed-to-food chain. For more information about AgriVision 2017 please visit http://www.agrivision.com.

DuPont Industrial Biosciences works with customers across a wide range of industries to make products and industrial processes more efficient and sustainable. Through a unique combination of agriculture, biotechnology, chemistry and material science capabilities, we advance market-driven, biobased solutions to meet the needs of a growing population, while protecting our environment for future generations. For updates about how DuPont Industrial Biosciences is helping customers deliver cost-effective products with superior performance and sustainability, follow @DuPontBiobased on Twitter or visit our website at http://biosciences.dupont.com.

DuPont DD has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com.

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