Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Almost 10% of the world's population do not get enough to eat. Since the global population is predicted to rise to 9.8 billion by 2050, we need to increase levels of food availability by at least 50% to be able to feed the world's population. One proposed solution has been to reduce food loss and wastage (FLW), since it is estimated that around 1/3 of the total food produced for human consumption worldwide is either lost or wasted. A major contributor to FLW is spoilage by microbes. Given these drastic numbers, many governments and global organisations are adopting a multi-pronged approach to ensure we can feed the world over the coming decades. Indeed, the importance of understanding biological processes that lead to food spoilage falls within the BBSRC's Strategic Challenge '3.2.1 Bioscience for Sustainable Agriculture and Food' and the Responsive Mode Priority of 'Reducing Waste in the Food Chain'. Microbes (bacteria, viruses and fungi) grow on the surfaces of food, or on surfaces in the food chain, in a slimy film called a biofilm. Biofilms are found everywhere, from the slimy deposits that form on the bathroom sink, shower and fridge, to the slime seen in ponds or on rocks in nature. The slimy coating acts as a protective layer, making it very difficult to kill microbes when they are in biofilms and to physically remove the biofilm once it has formed. A major group of bacteria that cause spoilage of a range of meat, dairy and vegetable products are broadly called Pseudomonas species. When food in your fridge goes off and you throw it out, it is very likely to be due to these bacteria growing in biofilms on spoiled salad leaves, meat or on the aggregates in spoiled milk. On average 280 kg of food is lost or wasted per adult in the UK, which contributes to approx. 6.7 million tonnes, or 152,000 full lorries, of food wasted each year in the UK alone. There are currently no strategies that directly target biofilm formation on food surfaces to either extend the shelf life of food or stop food spoilage. Overall, the work in this Fellowship aims to: 1. Determine if we can stop Pseudomonas species forming biofilms on food by targeting a common component of the slimy part of biofilms, extracellular DNA (eDNA). Many bacteria have eDNA in the biofilm slime, which provides strength and structure to the biofilm and helps the biofilm resist attempts to remove it. My preliminary data shows that there is eDNA in Pseudomonas species biofilms. I have access to an enzyme called NucB, which can break down eDNA. In this work I will test if putting NucB on food surfaces stops bacteria forming biofilms and if I can remove a biofilm that is already formed on food with NucB. 2. Understand how Pseudomonas species grow in biofilms on food to bring about food spoilage. By understanding this process in detail, we will then be able to develop new ways to stop biofilms forming on food, or on surfaces in the food chain (e.g. in food processing plants or on food packaging) to extend the shelf-life and reduce food spoilage. This work could be directly translated into solutions to reduce the growth of bacteria on food and thus food spoilage. Additionally, the techniques developed in this Fellowship will be very useful in understanding how other bacteria, for instance those that cause food poisoning, are transmitted through the food chain.

Sweet Crosstalk is a multidisciplinary European Training Network built to address the challenge of understanding, at a molecular level, how glycans are involved at the human mucosa–microbiota interface, and how this correlates with human well-being. Research into the human microbiome has reshaped the paradigm of our health and disease. In order to advance further, the time has arrived to understand it at a molecular level. Glycans dominate the microbiota-host interface and are thus ideally positioned to modulate these complex interactions. The research strategy of the Sweet Crosstalk programme focuses on optimal synergy between chemistry and biology. Smart chemistry drives the research to get a molecular-level grip on the role of these glycocodes and their interacting proteins, and advances in biology directs the research. The high quality and credibility of our consortium is ensured by a strong private-public partnership with complementary expertise ranging from chemical synthesis, biochemistry, structural biology to microbiology and cell biology. Our 7 academic groups are all renowned leaders in the glycoscience and microbiome fields, whereas the complementary 4 SMEs are specialized in glycan-based diagnostics and prophylactic therapies. This unique combination of scientific excellence and industry know-how covers the entire process from obtaining fundamental insight to the development of innovative early diagnostics and glycotherapeutics. Sweet Crosstalk also represents a unique research platform to train 15 outstanding Early Stage Researchers to be the new generation of innovative scientists with expert knowledge and skills in interdisciplinary glycoscience and human microbiome research. Our international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary training programme will equip them with the necessary scientific and transferable skills that will make them highly competitive for both top European research institutions and the healthcare/biotech job market.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.