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The mysterious world of probiotics!

What are probiotics? What are their health benefits? Could probiotics be used against COVID19? These questions and more are answered in the Monday Science probiotics episodes with Professor Simon Gaisford.

27 September 2021

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  • The mysterious world of probiotics!

Professor Simon Gaisford leads his research group at UCL where they use novel methods to characterise pharmaceutical products, focusing on isothermal microcalorimetry (IMC).

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More recently they have explored the role of probiotic formulations in maintaining and improving human health and well being and have shown that probiotics can be beneficial in combating gut pathogens and in improving various disease states, including liver cirrhosis, Crohn’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. 

Their work has been featured in the Daily Mail, Express, Times, Telegraph and The Sun newspapers and we have featured on various TV shows (Trust me, I’m a Doctor and Food Unwrapped). In 2020 their research featured on ‘Secrets of your supermarket food’.

The episodes will be available on the following days

  • 27th of September - “What are probiotics?”
  • 4th of October - “What are the health benefits of probiotics?”
  • 18th of November - ‘ “Good bacteria” during COVID’

About Monday Science

Monday Science (part of STEAM:ED Collective) is a listener-driven engaging weekly podcast bringing you the latest research and news in Science, Technology, Medicine and Health. Hosted by award winning scientist Dr Bahijja Raimi-Abraham, she also answers your questions or finds experts in the field to answer them for you!

Monday Science started in May 2020, and as of September 2021 has had close to 5000 plays, listeners from all over the world in 54 countries and over 200 active listeners on Spotify.

In July 2021, Monday Science ranked 64th for Science Podcasts in South Africa (according to Chartable).
 
Monday Science was added to  Anchor’s Amplifying Black Voices playlist on Spotify in July 2020 and recently received funding from the Royal Society of Chemistry towards a project aimed at opening up conversations about diversity in chemical sciences and engaging the public with chemistry using creative approaches.

Monday Science has covered a range of topics, including: AI in Healthcare, Women’s Health, Inequalities in Healthcare, Cybersecurity, Dementia, Chemical Sciences, Academia and Neuroscience.

You can subscribe and catch up on all of these topics here: Listen to Monday Science

Further information:

Professor Simon Gaisford

  • Staff profile
  • Twitter - @SGaisfordUCL
  • Youtube - Pharma Drama: Which probiotic should I take?

Dr Bahijja Raimi-Abraham

  • Twitter - @DrBahijjaRaimiA
  • Instagram - @DrBahijjaRaimiAbraham
  • Website - https://www.bahijjaraimiabraham.com/
  • SteamEd - https://steamedcollective.wixsite.com/steam

Monday Science
Twitter - @MondayScience_
Instagram - @MondayScience
Website - https://www.mondaysciencepodcast.com/ 

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