Key concepts in immunology to understand the crosstalk between probiotics and the host’s immune system
Monday, 27 June 2022
Sin-Hyeog Im
Professor, Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Korea CEO, ImmunoBiome Inc.), Pohang, Korea
Intestinal microbiota plays a critical role in the modulation of human health. Dysregulation of the commensal flora is closely linked to functional changes in the immune system and subsequently contributes to the development of immune disorders. Probiotics are considered prophylactic or therapeutic modalities to restore the homeostasis of the host immune system. However, the efficacy of probiotics is strain specific and shows great variation even within the same species. Recent studies also suggest that taking inappropriate strains of probiotic strains could exacerbate ongoing immune disorders when patients or experimental animals are in the process of disease development. Thereby providing tailored probiotic strain(s) is essential to people who are in the stage of disease development.
How can we identify and characterize the properties of specific probiotic strains? What are the effector molecules and their mode of action of them? How to prove efficacy? How do probiotics crosstalk with the host’s immune system?
To answer these questions, I will discuss the essential concept in immunology, especially the role of antigen-presenting cells, T helper cell differentiation, and effector molecules (e.g, cytokines, chemokines). In addition, I will discuss some of my own results that how we identified immune-stimulatory or immune regulatory probiotic strains and their effector molecules as potential live therapeutic products.
I believe that by attending this education workshop we will learn the essential concept of immunology to understand the crosstalk network between probiotics and the host’s immune system.
