SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
We support scientific research aimed at fostering paths of knowledge sharing, and promoting education and culture.
We promote an integrated approach by seeking contact points between scientific inquiry and social reality, facilitating strongly interdisciplinary research. We choose to investigate the phenomena we deal with by taking into account the complexity of the different perspectives that make up the social challenges we want to address.
In the First 1000 Days Project we develop complementary strands of investigation that study the impact of nutrition on the formation of the gut microbiome and the epigenetic changes, both particularly affected during the period from conception to the child’s second birthday, a period that represents the first thousand days of life.
The results of the scientific research make it possible to expand knowledge that, when shared, enables the creation of awareness regarding the consumption of foods with high nutritional value and the spread of healthy lifestyles. A highly diversified and healthy diet positively influences the diversity of the microbiome, laying the foundation for a life of health and well-being. Una dieta altamente diversificata e sana influenza positivamente la diversità del microbioma, ponendo le basi per una vita di salute e benessere.
Studiare la composizione nei primi mille giorni di vita della flora batterica intestinale, il cosiddetto “microbiota”, è l’obiettivo del progetto dell’Unità di Gastroenterologia dell’Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, promosso da Fondazione Comitans che sta sostenendo la borsa di dottorato della Dott.ssa Giulia Rocchi, dottoranda in Scienze e
Ingegneria per l’Uomo e l’Ambiente.
NUTRI-BIOMA
We are supporting a PhD fellowship in Science and Engineering for Man and the Environment at the University Campus Bio-Medico in Rome.
Involved are the Gastroenterology, Pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics Operative Units of UCBM, which, in collaboration with the Parasitology and Human Microbiome Unit of the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, are carrying out the research project on the impact of pre-and post-natal determinants in the evolution and modulation of the infant gut microbiota in the first thousand days.
The project is entitled: “Nutribiome: impact of nutrition and food in the modulation of the gut microbiota in the first six months of life.”
NUTRIMIRNA
This project proposes to analyze micro-RNAs (miRNAs) present in human biological samples (blood samples, breast milk, fetal). In particular, the presence of plant-derived miRNAs in individuals following a Mediterranean diet or a diet enriched in specific plant-based foods will be analyzed. The primary aim is to highlight the cross-kingdom transfer of plant miRNAs, that is, the transfer of miRNAs from the plant world to the animal world.
In a next step we aim to identify possible metabolic targets of plant miRNAs.
In fact, over the past decade research has shown that even without making direct changes to the DNA sequence, the behavior of genes can be changed through modifications that occur around the DNA itself. These modifications are stimulated by environmental factors and act through activation or inhibition of genes. These are epigenetic processes, processes that occur “above/alongside” (epi) genetics. These changes can be long-lasting and some can be passed on to subsequent generations. Starting from the periconceptional period (from the first month before conception through the third month of pregnancy) to birth, and during breast-feeding, environmental factors to which the mother is exposed, including nutritional factors, can impact the baby’s epigenome in utero and immediately after birth, and influence its future health.
