(June 20, 2017) Prof.ssa Claudia Folli, Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Food Science and Medicine of the University of Parma and Italian Manager of the Toxin-antitoxin systems project in lactic acid bacteria of technological interest, and Prof. Camilla Lazzi, Professor of Microbiology at the same Department, took part at the 14th Italian-Japanese Joint Commission on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, held in Rome in the last few days at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Professors at the University of Parma have been invited to participate because the project they proposed was the only one in the Agriculture and Food Science area funded as a Project of Great Importance under the Italian-Japan Scientific and Technological Cooperation Executive Program. The focus of the project is the study of toxin-antitoxin systems, which can induce cell death or dormancy under conditions of cell damage or environmental stress, thus affecting the technological performance and metabolic activity of the microbial population. The study focuses on lactic acid bacteria used in food and biotechnology and has a potential interest in fermented food products, functional foods, nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical preparations. (Red)

ABOUT / COLLABORATIONS

The project, which lasts three years, involves research activities in collaboration with prof. Kawano Mitsuoki of Kawasaki Medical School and with prof. Yoshihiro Yamaguchi of Osaka City University and periods of mobility for the researchers participating in the project. The new scientific collaboration, created thanks to the Project of Great Importance, will enable the integration of scientific expertise, the training of new researchers in the use of state-of-the-art technologies and the creation of research networks useful for the presentation of international research projects.