Scientific Programme



Please CLICK HERE to download the full conference programme including abstracts and speakers' biographies.

Day 1: Tuesday 9th March, 2010
15.00 Registration opens
17.00 Official Opening
Chair: Prof. Paul Ross, Head of Food Research Programme, Teagasc, Ireland Official Opening of the Functional Food Conference 2010 by Mr. Brendan Smith, TD, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Food

Also in attendance: Prof. Gerry Boyle, Director, Teagasc, Ireland
Dr. Michael Murphy, President, University College Cork, Ireland
Dr. Stephen Anderson, Commercial Counselor, US Embassy, Dublin, Ireland
Dr. Gloria Solano-Aguilar, USDA/ARS, Beltsville, USA
18.00 Keynote Address
By Prof. Jeremy K. Nicholson
Imperial College London, UK

The keynote address will be presented in honour of
Prof. Liam Donnelly, former Director of Food Research, Teagasc,
in recognition of his distinguished service to Teagasc and the Dairy Industry
19.00 Welcome reception
Day 2: Wednesday 10th March, 2010
SESSION 1 GUT SIGNALLING/HORMONES/INCRETINS (Sponsored by Wyeth) Chair: Dr. Gloria  Solano-Aguilar, USDA/ARS, Beltsville, USA
09.00 – 09.45 PLENARY OVERVIEW Graham Dockray, University of Liverpool, UK
How the gut sends signals in response to food
09.45 – 10.20 Topic 1: Dietary factors and incretin secretion
Speaker: Jens Holst and Charlotte Rasmussen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
10.20 – 10.55 Topic 2: Appetite control: Focus on anandamide and oleoylethanolamide
Speaker: Vincenzo Di Marzo, Institute de ChimicaBiomolecolare,
ConsiglioNazionaledelleRicerche, Naples, Italy
10.55 – 11.30 Tea/coffee break and Poster Viewing
11.30 – 12.05 Topic 3: Nutritional regulation of incretin hormone release
Speaker: Frank Reimann, University of Cambridge, UK
12.05 – 12.40 Topic 4: The immune/enteroendocrine link in the regulation of food intake and body weight
Speaker: John McLaughlin, University of Manchester, UK
12.40 – 14.00 Lunch and Poster Viewing
SESSION 2 GUT MICROBIOTA Chair: Dr. Catherine Stanton, Teagasc, Moorepark Food Research Centre, Ireland
14.00 – 14.45 PLENARY OVERVIEW Fredrik Bäckhed, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Addressing the gut microbiome and implications for obesity
14.45 – 15.20 Topic 1: The role and potential of probiotics in the gut, and the communication between gut microbiota and gut/host
Speaker: Todd Klaenhammer, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
15.20 – 15.55 Topic 2: Specific metabolite production by gut microbiota as a basis for probiotic function
Speaker: Paul Ross, Teagasc, Moorepark Food Research Centre, Ireland
15.55 – 16.30 Tea/coffee break and Poster Viewing
16.30 – 17.05 Topic 3: Nutritional modulation of gut microbiota in the context of obesity and insulin resistance (includes prebiotics)
Speaker: Nathalie Delzenne, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
17.05 – 17.40 Topic 4: Gut microbiota: Changes throughout the lifecycle: From infancy to elderly
Speaker: Paul O’Toole, University College Cork, Ireland
19.30 GALA DINNER
Day 3: Thursday 11th March, 2010
SESSION 3 MECHANISMS AND BIOMARKERS AS THEY RELATE TO NUTRIENT RESPONSE Chair: Prof. Eamonn Quigley, University College Cork, Ireland
09.00 – 09.45 PLENARY OVERVIEW Randy Seeley, The University of Cincinnati, OH, USA
Biological systems that regulate energy balance and body weight
09.45 – 10.20 Topic 1: The gut brain axis: New avenue for nutritional therapy?
Speaker: Robert Jan Brummer, Örebro University, Sweden
10.20 – 10.55 Topic 2: Immune-based alterations in gastrointestinal function
Speaker: Terez Shea-Donohue, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
10.55 – 11.30 Tea/coffee break and Poster Viewing
11.30 – 12.05 Topic 3: Over-nutrition, immune cells and metabolic dysregulation
Speaker: Rob O’Doherty, University College Cork, Ireland and University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
12.05 – 12.40 Topic 4: Neuroimmune responses with respect to food intake
Speaker: John Bienenstock, MacMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
12.40 -14.00 Lunch and Poster Viewing
SESSION 4 FUNCTIONAL FOODS -FROM TECHNOLOGICAL TO REGULATORY ASPECTS TO CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE Chair: Prof. Patrick Wall, University College Dublin, Ireland
14.00 – 14.45 PLENARY OVERVIEW Tiina Mattila-Sandholm, Valio, Finland Consumer acceptance of Functional Foods: From technology to regulatory aspects
14.45 – 15.20 Topic 1: Functional Foods from the perspective of the consumer: How to make them a success.
Speaker: Jens Bleiel, Food for Health Ireland (FHI)
15.20 – 15.55 Topic 2: Do regulatory bodies need science?: Lessons from the gut
Speaker: Willem de Vos, University of Wageningen, The Netherlands and University of Helsinki, Finland
15.55 – 16.30 Tea/coffee break and Poster Viewing
16.30 – 17.05 Topic 3: Challenges in effective delivery of bioactive food compounds to the gut
Speaker: Paul de Vos, University Medical Centre of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands
17.05 – 17.40 CLOSING PANEL DISCUSSION Chair: Prof. Gerry Boyle, Director of Teagasc, Ireland