6th FBHC | MURCIA 2027

PLENARY SPEAKERS

Meet our plenary speakers

Prof. Patrice D. Cani

UCLouvain, Brussels

Harnessing the gut microbiota for nutrition and therapeutic innovation: from species isolation to bioactive compounds

Patrice D. Cani is Full Professor of Physiology, Metabolism and Nutrition at UCLouvain (Brussels) and Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. A pioneer of gut microbiota-host research, he discovered the metabolic endotoxemia, the metabolic benefits of specific nutrients (prebiotics) and bacteria (Akkermansia muciniphila, Dysosmobacter welbionis). Past ERC grantee and Francqui-Collen Prize 2026 laureate, he is a Highly Cited Researcher (top 1%) with more than 400 publications (h index : 145 ; > 117 000 citations). His motto: "In Gut We Trust."

Dr. Prof. Francisco A. Tomás Barberán

CEBAS-CSIC, Spain

Gut microbiota convert dietary antioxidants into bioactive metabolites: The urolithin paradigm

Francisco A. Tomás-Barberán studied Pharmacy at Valencia University (1975- 1980) and PhD in 1984. Research Professor of CSIC (Murcia, Spain). He has been a visiting scientist at Reading University (UK), Laussane University (Switzerland), Lyon University (France), and UCDavis (USA). His research focuses on the role of food polyphenols in human health, their interactions with the gut microbiota, and their potential for personalised nutrition using a metabolomics approach. He has transferred research results to industry, resulting in six patents (three of which have been licensed), and derived products are currently on the market. Author of over 430 publications in scientific journals within the fields of phytochemistry, food science, and nutrition (H-index = 117 in Web of Science Core). Highly Cited Scientist (Clarivate) 2014- 2025.

Dr. Dragan Milenkovic

North Carolina State University, USA

Polyphenols, Omics, and Precision Nutrition: From Nutrigenomics to Nutrigenetics

Dr Dragan Milenkovic is Associate Professor at Plant for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, USA. Before that he was a Faculty Researcher at the Department of Nutrition at University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA, and beforehand a Scientific Research at French Institute for Agricultural research. He received his master’s degree in genetics and molecular modelling from University of Paris, France, and his PhD from University of Versailles, France, in molecular genetics. His research aims to demonstrate health effects of micronutrients, particularly polyphenols, on (neuro)vascular function and prevention of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as identify underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of action using integrated multiomics and bioinformatics. His projects also aim to identify variability in responsiveness to intake of these nutrients and identify factors involved, such as gender, age, health status and particularly genetic polymorphism. His projects use translational research approach involving in-vitro studies, animal models and clinical trials. He has published over 130 research papers and has nearly 9, 000 citations.

Prof. María Carmen Collado

IATA-CSIC, Valencia, Spain

Food Bioactives, biotics and the Microbiome: From Pregnancy to Healthy Ageing

María Carmen Collado (PhD 2005) is Full Research Professor at IATA-CSIC (Spain) and leads MAINbiotic Lab. Her research focuses on the interplay between nutrition, food bioactives, the gut microbiome and human health across the life course, with special emphasis on maternal-infant and women's health. She leads translational studies integrating clinical cohorts, multi-omics and microbiome-based nutritional strategies.

INVITED SPEAKERS

Meet the invited Speakers

Prof. Antonio Meléndez-Martínez

University of Sevilla, Spain

Carotenoids: versatile compounds for the sustainable and health-promoting food system

Prof. Meléndez-Martínez (University of Seville, Spain) is a Stanford University’s World’s 2% Scientist since 2020. His research deals with. the sustainable production of health-promoting foods. He coordinated two large international networks on the topic (CYTED-IBERCAROT and COST Action EUROCAROTEN). Some awards and recognitions:
- International Carotenoid Society G. Britton Award for Young Researcher (1st edition).
- Fellow of the International Carotenoid Society.
- M. Losada Award to Excellence in Agro-food Research.
- Iberoamerican Academy of Pharmacy Award.
- Induction into the scientific honour society Sigma Xi (USA).

Dr. Cláudia Nunes dos Santos

NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Lisbon, Portugal

Unlocking the Gut-Brain Axis: New Opportunities for Neurodegenerative Disease Prevention and Therapy.

Cláudia Nunes dos Santos is Principal Investigator and Vice-Director for Research at the NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology (NIMSB). Her research explores how dietary polyphenols and gut microbiota-derived metabolites promote brain health and counteract neurodegeneration. She received an ERC Starting Grant (2018) and two ERC Proof-of-Concept grants focused on Parkinson’s disease and brain-on-chip technologies. She has coordinated and contributed to multiple EU projects and authored over 100 peer- reviewed publications.

Dr. Pedro Mena

University of Parma, Italy

From (poly)phenol metabolism to precision nutrition: translating plant bioactives into human health

Dr. Pedro Mena is Associate Professor of Human Nutrition at the University of Parma. His research focuses on plant bioactives, mainly (poly)phenols, their bioavailability, biological activity, and inter-individual variability, aiming to advance personalised and precision nutrition through realistic, translatable models. He led the ERC PREDICT-CARE project and firmly believes that his achievements reflect the work of an extraordinary team he is proud to be part of.

Prof. Rosa Lamuela-Raventós

University of Barcelona, Spain

Polyphenols in the Mediterranean Diet: Advancing Evidence for Cardiometabolic Health.

Dr. Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós is Full Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Barcelona and an ICREA Academia awardee. An internationally recognized expert in polyphenols and food bioactives, she leads the Polyphenol Research Group. Her research integrates advanced metabolomics and lipidomics to characterize bioactive compounds and investigate their effects on cardiovascular health, the gut–brain axis, and nutrition-related diseases, advancing precision nutrition.

Dr. Luke Bell

University of Reading, Reading, UK

Decoding Phytochemical Diversity in Brassicaceae: Environmental Drivers, Volatile Profiling, & Health Impacts

Dr. Luke Bell is Lecturer in Molecular Horticulture at the University of Reading. His research focuses on plant metabolomics, biochemistry, and precision horticulture, with an emphasis on Brassicaceae crops. Utilising advanced mass spectrometry and analytical techniques, his group investigates the genetic and environmental drivers of plant bioactive compounds, phytochemical quality, and sensory traits to enhance health-promoting properties in food crops.

Prof. Chris Gill

Ulster University, Coleraine, United Kingdom

Ileostomates & the gut: a partnership to explore the bioavailability &bioactivity of dietary phytochemicals

Chris Gill is a Professor of digestive health at Ulster University and thematic leader for “Phytochemicals and gut microbiota in health and disease” within the Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE). His research focuses on the influence of diet (terrestrial & marine phytochemicals) on gut health investigated through in vitro, animal and human models, with a special interest in people living with stomas (https://pure.ulster.ac.uk/en/persons/chris- gill/publications/). He has developed an extensive research network with internationally leading research centres through a range of EU, BBSRC, NIH and MRC projects. He is Project Lead for the Centre for Food & Drug Discovery a Growth Deal (£22M) in partnership with Causeway Coast and Glens and Ulster University. He is currently an Editor for the European Journal of Nutrition, European Associate Editor, a founding member of the Nutrition Society Special Interest Group on Phytochemicals and recipient of the Ulster University Distinguished Research Fellowship.

Dr. Dan C. Vodnar

University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Digestive and Colonic Transformation of Bioactive Compounds and Their Role in Gut-Modulating Functional Foods.

Dan C. Vodnar, PhD, is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca. Since 2016, he has led a highly committed research group in Biotechnology, which was honored as one of the top research groups in Romania at the prestigious Romanian Research Gala in 2024. His research group concentrates on critical areas such as the bioconversion of waste into valuable organic chemicals, biomass production from microalgae and probiotics, and the formulation of active packaging and edible films. Since 2019, Dr. Vodnar has consistently been included in the annual World Ranking of Top 2% Scientists by ELSEVIER BV and Stanford University, recognizing his dedication and contributions to the field.

FBHC 2027

SPEAKERS

PLENARY SPEAKERS

Prof. Patrice D. Cani

Harnessing the gut microbiota for nutrition and therapeutic innovation: from species isolation to bioactive compounds

Harnessing the gut microbiota for nutrition and therapeutic innovation: from species isolation to bioactive compounds

Dr. Prof. Francisco A. Tomás Barberán

Gut microbiota convert dietary antioxidants into bioactive metabolites: The urolithin paradigm

Gut microbiota convert dietary antioxidants into bioactive metabolites: The urolithin paradigm

Dr. Dragan Milenkovic

Polyphenols, Omics, and Precision Nutrition: From Nutrigenomics to Nutrigenetics

Polyphenols, Omics, and Precision Nutrition: From Nutrigenomics to Nutrigenetics

Prof. María Carmen Collado

Food Bioactives, biotics and the Microbiome: From Pregnancy to Healthy Ageing

Food Bioactives, biotics and the Microbiome: From Pregnancy to Healthy Ageing

INVITED SPEAKERS

Prof. Antonio Meléndez-Martínez

Carotenoids: versatile compounds for the sustainable and health-promoting food system

Carotenoids: versatile compounds for the sustainable and health-promoting food system

Dr. Cláudia Nunes dos Santos

Unlocking the Gut-Brain Axis: New Opportunities for Neurodegenerative Disease Prevention and Therapy.

Unlocking the Gut-Brain Axis: New Opportunities for Neurodegenerative Disease Prevention and Therapy.

Dr. Pedro Mena

From (poly)phenol metabolism to precision nutrition: translating plant bioactives into human health

From (poly)phenol metabolism to precision nutrition: translating plant bioactives into human health

Prof. Rosa Lamuela-Raventós

Polyphenols in the Mediterranean Diet: Advancing Evidence for Cardiometabolic Health.

Polyphenols in the Mediterranean Diet: Advancing Evidence for Cardiometabolic Health.

Dr. Luke Bell

Decoding Phytochemical Diversity in Brassicaceae: Environmental Drivers, Volatile Profiling, & Health Impacts

Decoding Phytochemical Diversity in Brassicaceae: Environmental Drivers, Volatile Profiling, & Health Impacts

Prof. Chris Gill

Ileostomates & the gut: a partnership to explore the bioavailability &bioactivity of dietary phytochemicals

Ileostomates & the gut: a partnership to explore the bioavailability &bioactivity of dietary phytochemicals

Dr. Dan C. Vodnar

Digestive and Colonic Transformation of Bioactive Compounds and Their Role in Gut-Modulating Functional Foods.

Digestive and Colonic Transformation of Bioactive Compounds and Their Role in Gut-Modulating Functional Foods.