Candida yeast is a common cause of infections of the mouth and the vagina, which are irritating but not life-threatening. However, if Candida enters the bloodstream it causes a dangerous disease known as invasive candidiasis (IC). About one-third of people with IC will die from it (as the Candida infects organs of the body and becomes very difficult to eradicate). IC has become more common in recent years, as a side-effect of an increase in the number of people with weakened immune systems, particularly those in hospitals undergoing treatment for other conditions (e.g. cancer chemotherapy). One-third of the population carry Candida cells in their intestine, and normally they are harmless, because good bacteria in the gut keep the Candida under control. But broad-spectrum antibiotics can destroy the good bacteria, and leave yeasts unaffected, and able to become dominant. From there, the Candida may cross the gut wall into the bloodstream. This project will use sophisticated selection methods to identify strains of good bacteria with characteristics to eliminate Candida cells from the gut; and so greatly reduce the risk of developing IC. Such strains will be incorporated into a probiotic product.

Dental caries is a widespread oral disease that is costly for health services to treat, and causes pain and loss of teeth to those affected. It is caused by production of acid by oral bacteria in biofilms on the teeth and gums commonly known as dental plaque. Brushing teeth can reduce this problem, but many people do not do so regularly or thoroughly. This project will investigate the application of bacterial replacement therapy in the form of a lozenge containing a suitable probiotic strain to help develop an anti-caries environment within the dental plaque biofilm. The project will combine the strengths of two UK SMEs, a world class culture collection centre and a leading probiotics manufacturer. The project will investigate strains held within the NCIMB culture collection for their potential to create novel biofilms to combat dental caries..

Probiotics are live microorganisms which when taken in adequate amounts confer health benefits. Changing diets and lifestyles have seen an increase in diet-related health conditions which probiotics acting as novel functional food ingredients can help. There are many probiotic species but the majority of commercial products are restricted to the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera. This project will therefore examine the potential to increase the health benefits offered by microorganisms by exploring new genera for probiotic potential. The project brings together experience in previous research studies and in long term protection and storage of microorganisms. The project will combine the strengths of two UK SMEs, a world class culture collection centre, NCIMB Ltd, and a leading probiotic manufacturer, PIL, in their first collaborative R&D project together to explore the potential of introducing novel food supplement and functional food products.