Nominees for the ISM Innovation Awards 2026
At the 13th World Congress on Targeting Microbiota 2026, the International Society of Microbiota is highlighting eight companies presenting innovative technologies, experimental models and microbiome-based interventions.
We are pleased to introduce the eight nominees for the ISM Innovation Awards 2026, together with the researchers behind their scientific contributions.
Meet the 8 nominated companies
Affinity Petcare | Spain
Anna Salas Mani & Quentin Garrigues
Exploring intestinal microbiome sampling and nutritional strategies to better understand microbiome function in companion animals.
Bac3Gel | Portugal
Natalia Suárez Vargas & Abdul Mateen
Developing mucus-based experimental platforms to investigate microbial communities, host interactions and responses to interventions.
Bio-Me | Norway
Monika Petkovic
Advancing quantitative microbiome profiling to translate microbial signatures into biomarkers, diagnostics and clinical development.
Cellbox Labs | Latvia
Arturs Ābols
Developing anaerobic gut-on-chip technology to investigate microbiota–host interactions under controlled experimental conditions.
Microbiotica | United Kingdom
Iulia Balas
Investigating the engraftment and persistence of defined bacterial therapeutics in clinical studies.
Opella Healthcare Italy | Italy
Rida Haider
Investigating how probiotics influence intestinal barrier integrity and neuronal responses using a human in-vitro gut–brain-axis model.
Probiotical Research | Italy
Giovanni Deusebio
Examining how live and heat-treated probiotic strains influence microbial metabolism and butyrate production.
SynBalance | Italy
Alice Galeazzi, Marta Lo Re & Diletta Squarzanti
Investigating targeted probiotic combinations through mechanistic studies and clinical research.
From experimental platforms to clinical translation, these contributions illustrate different ways innovation is advancing microbiome science.
But which approaches will have the greatest scientific and clinical impact?
The ISM Scientific Committee will evaluate the contributions before selecting the award recipient.
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