Thursday 19th April, 2018

10:00   Open Registration and Poster Assembly

11:30    Lunch

12:30    Welcome
Dr Bart Degeest, Managing Director and Science Director Yakult Belgium

KEYNOTE LECTURE I
12:45   “You and your microbes and the use of population biobanks to understand their intricate relationship”
Prof Cisca Wijmenga, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

SESSION 1. MICROBIOTA
13:25    Chair: Dr Gwen Falony, KU Leuven, Belgium

13:30   “The interaction of epigenetics and microbiota development”
Prof Torsten Plösch, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands

14:00   “Systems ecology of microbiome-human interactions: identifying which functions are key”
Prof Paul Wilmes, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

14:30   “The microbiota and immune system in health and disease”
Prof Maria Rescigno, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy

15:00    Tea & coffee break and poster viewing

SESSION 2. STUDIES WITH LACTOBACILLUS CASEI SHIROTA (LcS): WHAT DO THEY TELL US (…A broad spectrum of activities)
15:45    Chair: Dr Tomoyuki Sako, Yakult Central Institute, Japan

15:50   ‘’Immunological effects of LcS: the basis for mechanistic explanations’’
Dr Masanobu Nanno, Yakult Central Institute, Japan

16:20   ‘’A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised trial of probiotic therapy Lactobacillus casei Shirota in stable     cirrhotic patients”
Dr Jane Macnaughtan, UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, University College London, UK

16:50    ‘’Can stress be managed through the gut? –A clinical study of examination stress on students”
Prof Kensei Nishida, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Japan

FLASH TALKS (poster presentations)
17:20    Chair: Prof Luc De Vuyst, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

• Selection by scientific committee A
• Selection by scientific committee B
• Selection by scientific committee C
• Selection by scientific committee D
• Selection by scientific committee E

18:00    End of sessions

19:30 –  Pre-dinner drinks

20:00    Dinner at Brasserie De Oude Vismijn
Words from: Mr Hiroyasu Matsubara, Managing Director Yakult Europe B.V.

Friday 20th April, 2018

KEYNOTE LECTURE II
8:30   ‘’Phages and probiotics: friends or foes?’’
Prof Colin Hill, University College Cork, Ireland

SESSION 3. THE GUT: CLOSELY LINKED TO OTHER ORGANS !
9:10    Chair: Prof Nathalie Delzenne, UC Leuven, Belgium

9:15   ‘’The role of microbiota in the prevention and treatment of cancer’’
Prof Julian Marchesi, Imperial College London, UK

9:45   ‘’The gut and the liver: two of a kind? (metabolic potential, cross talk)’’
Prof Ina Bergheim, University of Vienna, Austria

10:15   ‘’The gut and the endocrine system: a peaceful combination?’’
Prof Patrice Cani, UC Leuven, Belgium

10:45    Tea & coffee break and poster viewing

SESSION 4. PROBIOTICS: FROM CLINICAL OBSERVATION TO MECHANISM
11:15    Chair: Prof Yvan Vandenplas, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

11:20   ‘’Mechanisms of probiotic activities: the needle in the haystack or too many to understand?’’
Prof Sarah Lebeer, University of Antwerp, Belgium

11:50   ‘’The epithelial barrier: that is where it all starts! (infection, obesity, inflammation, translocation, …)’’
Prof Jan Wehkamp, University of Tübingen, Germany

12:20   ‘’Modelling the gut microbiome in vitro to assess food intervention efficacy and mode of action’’
Prof Tom Van de Wiele, Ghent University, Belgium

POSTER PRIZE AWARDS
12:50    Chair: Dr Tomoyuki Sako, Yakult Central Institute, Japan

13:10    Closing remarks
Dr Bruno Pot, Science Director, Yakult Europe B.V.

13:20    Lunch

14:30    End of International Yakult Symposium

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

• Prof Nathalie Delzenne, UC Louvain, Belgium
• Prof Jeroen Raes, KU Leuven, Belgium
• Prof Luc De Vuyst, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
• Dr Tomoyuki Sako, Yakult Central Institute, Japan
• Dr Bart Degeest, Yakult Belgium, Belgium
• Dr Bruno Pot, Yakult Europe, The Netherlands