M3-researcher Dr. Rômulo Silva de Oliveira (Mager group) has won the Science Slam at the yearly Faculty Day of the University Clinics Tübingen, which took place under the claim “Diversity in Life Sciences: Unlocking the Potential for Research & Teaching”.

In the Science Slam, the aim for young researchers was to present their research topics to the audience in a creative way. They tried to win the audience’s favor within a fixed time frame, while harmoniously combining research and entertainment. In advance, Rômulo was coached by Michael Pelzer, Research Center for Science Communication and warmly supported by students from the M3.

Rômulo’s piece, “From the Ranch to the Bench: Milk, Dairy, and NeoProbiotics” to read:

"Contrary to popular imagination, the southern region of Brazil is a flat, grassy area that serves as an ideal natural environment for milk production. In this small region known as the Pampa, where gauchos have built their lives and culture—including my own family—milk plays a significant role in the traditional diet. On my family's ranch, surrounded by farm animals, my grandfather spent 40 years of his life milking cows and indirectly contributing to the better nutrition and microbiomes of the infants in the nearby city.

Infants are colonized by Bifidobacteria. Therefore, the oligosaccharides in milk help to sustain these bacteria in the infant’s gut[1]. These microbes have been proved to significantly reduce the risk of gut infections and promote the enrichment of other species over time[2].

Decades later, my mother, a courageous entrepreneur, looked to our family heritage and developed a special cheese recipe with unique taste and flavor. The special qualities are results from the microbial maturation process, which releases a wide range of metabolites that contribute to the cheese's distinct characteristics, making it a real living product. To enhance the cheese's softness, she adds Lactobacillus, a well-known bacterium used in dairy products. Beyond prior semi pasteurization, Lactobacillus helps prevent harmful contamination that may occur during the process[3].

After being surrounded by the influence of milk and dairy in my family’s heritage, I left Brazil to pursue one of my fascinations: the microbiome. What is in common between milk, dairy, and the microbiome? Bifidobacteria! Interestingly, although typically associated with the infant gut microbiome, Bifidobacteria can also be found to some extent in the adult gut[4]. Certain species, such as B. longum and B. pseudolongum, have been linked with better outcomes in oncological treatments and are known to influence antitumor immunity[5-6].

A crucial question that remains only partially answered is whether patients can be classified as good responders or not based on their microbiome composition. This includes determining whether a patient has a robust immune system paired with an unhelpful gut microbiome, or vice versa. Indeed, treatments like immune checkpoint blockade against CTLA-4 and PD-1 are influenced by gut microbes. So, how do we find out what they do, and most importantly, how they do it in our favor?

As a postdoc at the laboratory of Dr. Mager, I have become a "hunter" of beneficial helpers. In the M3 laboratories, Bifidobacterium metabolites, along with various other compounds, are extracted and tested in different experimental settings, including T-cell and dendritic cell co-cultures, the core orchestrators of our immune system. Additionally, we conduct colon-derived organoid killing assays and germ-free experiments, since gut microbiome composition is a significant factor to fight against cancer. To bring this closer to a translational approach, we are also generating CRC patient-derived organoids to evaluate the efficacy of T-cell therapies when exposed to different microbiomes and their compounds[7].

Ultimately, the dream of any researcher is to unravel mechanisms that can improve general health, particularly in the context of cancer treatment. In the future, we might envision MagerCTIVIA as a novel way to enhance cancer therapies—possibly in combination with traditional medications and diet interventions. Got milk? Or better, you got Bifidobacterium?"