PhD student profile, Robin Duncan

PhD Student:  Robin Duncan (ORCID n. 0000-0003-4235-2496)

Supervisor: Simone Guglielmetti, DeFENS

Co-tutor: Rosario Russo, Giellepi SpA

Dean: Prof. Diego Mora

Research area: Food Science and Nutrition

Research topic: The role of the intestinal microbiota in mediating the effect of diet on human health (Guglielmetti Simone Domenico, Riso Patrizia)

Project Synopsis

Prebiotics and their definition have been subject to the debate among the scientific community and a consensus has not yet been reached. Also, numerous nutraceuticals with gut health promoting capabilities, and that can have an impact on gut microbiota, are readily available on the market. But, the available literature is usually focused on few effects and lacking in holistic approach. New research based on community-wide sequencing has shown that interactions between prebiotic substrates and gut microbiota are even more complex than previously assumed. With this considered, one aim of the project will be to screen a wide array of food supplements and investigate the possibility of proposing a “gut microbiome friendliness” label. The second will be to formulate a novel prebiotic or synbiotic product that is more in accordance with the new findings.

Project keywords

Microbiology, Prebiotics, Gut Microbiota, Gut Health

Contacts

Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS)

Division of Food Microbiology and Bioprocesses

Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy

robin.duncan@unimi.it

Sponsor

Fellowship sponsor: Giellepi S.p.A.; Università degli Studi di Milano

Publications

1. Gargari, G., Mantegazza, G., Cremon, C., Taverniti, V., Valenza, A., Barbaro, M. R., Marasco, G., Duncan, R., Fiore, W., & Ferrari, R. (2024). Collinsella aerofaciens as a predictive marker of response to probiotic treatment in non-constipated irritable bowel syndrome. Gut Microbes, 16(1), 2298246.
2. Mantegazza, G., Gargari, G., Duncan, R., Consalez, F., Taverniti, V., Riso, P., & Guglielmetti, S. (2023). Ready-to-eat rocket salads as potential reservoir of bacteria for the human microbiome. Microbiology Spectrum, 11(1), e02970-22.
3. Perotti, S., Mantegazza, G., Pierallini, E., Kirika, N., Duncan, R., Telesca, N., Sarrica, A., & Guglielmetti, S. (2024). Human in vivo assessment of the survival and germination of Heyndrickxia coagulans SNZ1969 spores delivered via gummy candies. Current Research in Food Science, 100793.
4. Mantegazza, G., Duncan, R., Telesca, N., Gargari, G., Perotti, S., Riso, P., & Guglielmetti, S. (2024). Lactic acid bacteria naturally associated with ready-to-eat rocket salad can survive the human gastrointestinal transit. Food Microbiology, 118, 104418.
5. Mantegazza, G., Dalla Via, A., Licata, A., Duncan, R., Gardana, C., Gargari, G., Alamprese, C., Arioli, S., Taverniti, V., & Karp, M. (2023). Use of kefir-derived lactic acid bacteria for the preparation of a fermented soy drink with increased estrogenic activity. Food Research International, 164, 112322.
6. Montanari, C., Tabanelli, G., Barbieri, F., Mora, D., Duncan, R., Gardini, F., & Arioli, S. (2021). Listeria monocytogenes sensitivity to antimicrobial treatments depends on cell origin. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 21263.
7. Maria Raffaella Barbaro, C., Cremon, G., Marasco, G., Savarino, E., Guglielmetti, S., Duncan, R., et al. (2024). Molecular mechanisms underlying loss of vascular and epithelial integrity in irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterology.
8. Duncan, R., Mantegazza, G., Gargari, G., Pierallini, E., Russo, R., & Guglielmetti, S. (2024). Heyndrickxia coagulans LMG S-24828 is a safe probiotic strain capable of germinating in the human gut. Submitted to Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins.

Posters:

1. Duncan, R., Mantegazza, G., Dalla Via, A., Licata, A., Gardana, C., Gargari, G., Alamprese, C., Arioli, S., Taverniti, V., Karp, M., & Guglielmetti, S. (2023). Identification and characterization of lactic acid bacterial strains for improved functional properties and increased estrogenic activity in fermented soymilk. 4th Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria, Egmond an Zee, The Netherlands.
2. Duncan, R., Mantegazza, G., Gargari, G., Telesca, N., Riso, P., & Guglielmetti, S. (2023). Ready-to-eat salad: A potential source of beneficial bacteria for the human gut microbiota. MicrobiotaMI 2023, Milan, Italy, Winner of the Best Poster Prize.
3. Duncan, R. (2023). Study on the modulation of the intestinal microbiota induced by nutraceutical preparations designed to improve immune and metabolic function. 27th Workshop on the Developments in the Italian PhD Research on Food Science Technology and Biotechnology, Catania, Italy.
4. Duncan, R., Gargari, G., Mantegazza, G., Russo, R., Terruzzi, F., & Guglielmetti, S. (2024). In vitro assessment of the effect of commercial botanical products on the human fecal bacterial community structure. Food System Microbiomes 2024, Turin, Italy.
5. Duncan, R. (2024). Study on the modulation of the intestinal microbiota induced by nutraceutical preparations designed to improve immune and metabolic function. 28th Workshop on the Developments in the Italian PhD Research on Food Science Technology and Biotechnology, Catania, Italy.