ISAPP 2009. The 7th ISAPP meeting will be held November 3-5, 2009. This is a by-invitation-only meeting. It will be held in conjunction with the US National Academy of Sciences Sackler Symposium on "Microbes and Health" (November 1-3). Registration.

ISAPP Board of Directors member, Dr. Todd Klaenhammer, received the University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ highest faculty honor on May 8. The Board of Governors of the multi-campus University of North Carolina honored Dr. Klaenhammer with the O. Max Gardner Award, which since 1949 honors faculty who have "made the greatest contributions to the welfare of the human race." Press release. 10-min video/podcast.

ISAPP’s president, Dr. Gregor Reid, named as inaugural chair in Human Microbiology and Probiotics at Lawson Health Research Institute, made possible by a $7 million investment by Danone Research. Press release.

Health Canada prepares monograph on probiotics as a guide to industry for natural health product market authorization of probiotic products. Download monograph.

Systematic review of probiotic safety commissioned by several US agencies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) are co-sponsoring a systematic review of probiotic safety which will be led by Prof. Dr. Paul Shekelle, Director of the Southern California Evidence-based Practice Center and managed by the RAND Corporation. The review will encompass diverse probiotic genera used as probiotics (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Bacillus) and is intended to provide tools for use by practitioners, researchers, and regulators to assess the value of and safety of probiotic administration to reduce risk, or prevent or treat disease, as well as to identify priorities or needs for future research.

Norwegian Food Safety Authority recommends against use of probiotics in critically ill patients. Download opinion.

ISAPP President, Gregor Reid, on "Research on Probiotics: A Well of Untapped Resources in Russia," published in International Science and Technology Center newsletter.

Health Canada Food Directorate issues "Guidance Document - The Use of Probiotic Microorganisms in Food" along with along with a "Notice to Stakeholders." Referring to foods containing probiotics, these documents indicate that Health Canada will allow certain generic claims that do not require strain- or product-specific substantiation.