Scientific interest in probiotics, prebiotics and other biotics is growing rapidly around the world. Yet despite the recent advances across the field, scientists in each region often work independently, with best practices and findings not always being communicated smoothly across international borders.

L._reuteri

Source: Anastasiia Dmytriv

This photo depicts the microscopy of Lactobacillus reuteri at 1000x magnification.

To help strengthen global collaboration and showcase innovative biotics research, The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) is organizing a scientific symposium on October 6, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan in conjunction with its annual meeting.

The event will bring together leading academic and industry experts in biotic science from North and South America, Europe, Australasia and across Asia, all coming together for an exciting day of networking, discussion and knowledge-sharing.

The event is organized with support from three local Japanese scientific societies: the Japanese Society for Lactic Acid Bacteria, the Intestinal Microbiology Society and the Japanese Association for Food Immunology.

New research and perspectives

The ISAPP symposium will feature keynote speakers sharing new research and perspectives in biotics and microbiome science, along with oral abstracts, networking breaks and an interactive poster session showcasing academic, early career researcher and industry studies.

ISAPP is a global nonprofit scientific association led by an academic board of directors with support from industry member companies. In its 24-year history, ISAPP has shown leadership in harmonizing scientific efforts and advancing the scientific fields of probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, synbiotics and fermented foods. The association has led the publication of over 90 academic papers, drawing in co-authors from a wide range of disciplines to contribute expert viewpoints that frame the latest developments and perspectives in the field.

Influential in shaping direction

The ISAPP-led scientific consensus definitions of probiotics and other key terms, all published in the journal Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, have together received over 1.1 million views and are influential in shaping the direction of academic and industry efforts globally.

ISAPP also contributes to scientific translational efforts and communication of biotic science to general audiences, with a publicly accessible collection of resources and information that reaches over 120,000 per month.

See the lineup of expert speakers for ISAPP’s scientific symposium and learn more here: https://isappscience.org/event/2026-symposium/

Abstract submissions for the meeting are open until 30 June, 2026.

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