On October 29, 2025, Prof. Dr. Gianni Panagiotou, head of the Microbiome Dynamics research group at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI) and professor at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, delivered one of the keynote lectures at the Aging and Microbiome Conference (AMC 2025) in Jena. The international conference brought together leading scientists from the fields of aging research, microbiome science, and systems biology to discuss current insights at the interface of the microbiome and aging processes.

Nutrition as a key to controlling the holobiome

In his lecture entitled "Decoding the Nutrient-Driven Modulation of Holobiome Function", Prof. Panagiotou presented current research results from his group. He described the holobiome – the functional unit of humans and their microbial communities – as a dynamic ecosystem in which nutrition acts both as a signal and as a substrate. He emphasized that the concept of a universally healthy diet is increasingly being questioned: differences in the composition and metabolic performance of the gut microbiome mean that every person responds individually to dietary components.

Multi-omics analyses and experimental models

Using integrative multi-omics analyses and experimental models, Panagiotou demonstrated how nutrients – from small bioactive molecules to complex polysaccharides and whole foods – modulate the function of the holobiome. Dietary components are biochemically transformed by the microbiome in the gut and influence host signaling pathways that regulate key processes such as metabolism, inflammation, and tissue homeostasis. The results show that these interactions between diet and microbiome are dynamic and context-dependent, changing with age, health status, and individual microbial composition.

Perspective: precision nutrition for healthy aging

A central goal of the work by Prof. Panagiotou and his team is to understand nutrition as a targeted tool to influence holobiome function. The long-term objective is the development of personalized nutritional strategies based on an individual's microbial and metabolic profile. These precision nutrition approaches aim to help mitigate age-related changes in metabolic regulation and immune function, thereby contributing to healthy aging.

About the conference

The Aging and Microbiome Conference 2025 (AMC 2025) took place on October 28 and 29 in the Rosensäle of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. It was jointly organized by the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI), the Leibniz-HKI, the Balance of the Microverse Cluster of Excellence, and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The event provided a forum for interdisciplinary exchange on the mechanisms through which the microbiome influences aging processes, as well as on new therapeutic and preventive approaches.